News & Events
ALL NEWS(view archives)
| SVSU Honors Alums; Celebrates with Three Men and a Tenor |
| A Saginaw CEO headlines the honorees and a popular musical group formed in Michigan will provide entertainment for Saginaw Valley State University’s annual Alumni Celebration Saturday, Nov. 7. The event begins at 5 p.m. with a cocktail reception and dinner, followed by the awards presentation and entertainment by the singing group Three Men and a Tenor in the Malcolm Field Theatre for Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. The 2009 recipient of SVSU’s Distinguished Alumnus award is Laverne (Vern) Weber, president and chief executive of Standard Electric Company, a wholesale distribution company of electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning supplies based in Saginaw, Mich. A 1979 graduate with a Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree, Weber has led the company from three branch locations with less than $1 million in sales to 24 branch locations that now generate more than $140 million in annual business. A resident of Thomas Township, he is involved in the community, serving on the board for the Saginaw County 911 Emergency Center and is active in the Kiwanis Club, Fordney Club, Germania Town & Country Club, and Kochville Township’s Downtown Development Authority. The SVSU Alumni Association annually presents an alumnus or alumna with its Distinguished Alumni Award in recognition of distinguished service and accomplishment in any field of human endeavor that enhances the prestige of the University. The award is the most prestigious honor SVSU bestows upon one of its graduates. Since 2003, the Association has been presenting awards to recognize outstanding alumni from each of the University’s five colleges to recognize remarkable professional success and the positive reflection made upon the reputation of all graduates of the respective college and the University. The Outstanding Alumnus in the College of Arts & Behavioral Sciences is David Gilmour, Deputy Chief of Mission in Panama for the Embassy of the United States. A 1981 graduate, he is a three-time recipient of the State Department’s Superior Honor Award and its Meritorious Honor Award. A Bridgeport native, Gilmour has been a member of U.S. Foreign Service since 1986 has been stationed in some 40 countries. He has worked on many high-profile projects, including the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Michael Tribble was selected as the Outstanding Alumnus in the College of Business and Management. A CPA and principal at Yeo & Yeo, his career at the Saginaw accounting firm spans 26 years and includes receiving its prestigious Thomas J. Thompson Award for Outstanding Service. A 1987 graduate and a resident of Saginaw, Tribble’s other service awards include the 2009 Boys & Girls Club Michigan Area Council Outstanding Board Volunteer Award, MidMichigan Medical Center’s Community Service Leadership Hero Award in 2007, and the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants Public Service Award in 2006. The Outstanding Alumna in the College of Education is Joy Baker, a retired principal and 36-year educator for Bay City Public Schools. The first African-American woman to serve as a principal in Bay City, she implemented the district’s first total school (K-5) foreign language program and piloted the district’s first full-day kindergarten program. Baker currently serves on the boards for Bijou Orchestra and Bay City Arts Council and previously served nine years on the Bay Area Community Foundation board. She completed a master’s degree at SVSU in 1984 and resides in Bay City. William Washabaugh Jr. is the Outstanding Alumnus in the College of Science, Engineering and Technology. President of Northern Concrete Pipe, Inc., he has worked at the family business for more than 35 years. A 1985 graduate, Washabaugh is the immediate past chairman of the Board of the American Concrete Pipe Association, based in Texas, and serves as a consultant to the Concrete Pipe Association of Michigan. A resident of Bay City, he participates on the Transportation Research Board in Washington, D.C., and locally with the Saginaw Bay Coastal Initiative on the Combined Sewage Overflow Workgroup. The Outstanding Alumna of Crystal M. Lange College of Health and Human Services is Andrea Frederick, director of quality and infection prevention at MidMichigan Medical Center. A resident of Midland, her career in nursing, nursing management and health care administration spans more than 30 years. Frederick currently participates in regional initiatives such as the Michigan Hospital Association Keystone for safety and quality projects and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Partners Investing in Nursing program. She completed a master’s degree in 1996 and has taught part-time at SVSU for 10 years. Formed in 1992 while the performers were members of the Men’s Glee Club at Michigan State University, Three Men and a Tenor has delighted audiences around the world. The group has been featured guests on over 80 national radio and television stations and starred in their very own PBS-TV music concert special in 2003. They also have performed at nearly 1,000 schools over the last 11 years and at U.S. Military Bases in Germany during tours in 2004 and 2006. SVSU alumni and friends are invited to see their fellow graduates honored. Tickets to the reception, dinner, awards presentation and Three Men and a Tenor performance are $50 per person, while admission to the awards presentation and musical performance is $25. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Proceeds will benefit SVSU’s Alumni Association Endowed Scholarship fund. For tickets and more information, visit www.svsu.edu/alumni or call the Alumni Relations office at 989-964-4196. |
RSS View RSS Feeds | What is RSS?