Alumni Notes Alumni Awards Presented at Homecoming Banquet The Alumni Association gives the annual Alumni Award and Citation at the Homecoming Banquet. These two awards are approved by the Alumni Council and nominations are accepted from alumni, faculty and staff. The Alumni Award is given to a recent graduate (no more than 15 years) who has displayed outstanding contributions in developing careers, service to society and loyalty to SC. The Alumni Citation is awarded to a graduate of 15 years or more, who has shown continued contributions over a great period of time in sustained excellence in careers, service to society and continued loyalty to SC. The Distinguished Service Award recognizes a lifetime of service that exemplifies the purposes for which SC exists: exceptional contributions to society, distinguished professional accomplishment, outstanding leadership and character. The honoree is recognized during the Commencement ceremony.
Alumni Award Sasha Hildebrand ’03 was recognized for excellence in her career, volunteerism, and dedication to Sterling College. She currently works as an admissions counselor at SC, and she is well-known within the Kansas high school theatre circle for her Jester award-winning costume design. Sasha also uses her skill and love of theatre to work as an adjudicator for the Kansas Thespian organization, and presents at their state conference.
Alumni Citation Dr. George Stickel ’71 is an accomplished education administrator, beginning university degree programs in several unreached locations. He has started five university degree programs in prisons in Illinois. He pioneered university course delivery in Malaysia, taught at Northwestern College in Iowa, and now directs the STEM teacher education program at Southern Polytechnic State University. He recently received a large grant to start a new teaching program called UTeach. George, however, will still claim that his most significant accomplishment is raising his three daughters.
Distinguished Service Award This Distinguished Service Award was given to Charles “Chuck” Larsen ’66, of Minden, Neb. After graduating from SC, Chuck taught for six years before returning to the family farm. He farmed nearly 2,500 acres of irrigated corn, soybeans and wheat, and raised 600 feeder cattle and 500 hogs during the mid-1980s and early 1990s. Additionally, he created time to write and publish numerous articles about his innovative farming practices in magazines such as Nebraska Farmer and a national publication Successful Farming. He demonstrated leadership through being an early adopter of water and land conservation practices. In the early 1980s, Chuck’s passion became fresh, clean water for the people of Haiti. He partnered with a mission organization based in Kalona, Iowa, called Water for Life, whose mission is focused on drilling and maintaining hand-pump water wells in rural Haiti. Chuck has traveled to Haiti more than 30 times to be involved in the drilling or repairing of hundreds of water wells. Also, through his experience in agriculture, Chuck has been involved in farmland irrigation projects in Haiti. Recently, he formed his own non-profit organization, Water 4 Haiti, and focuses his work on the Haitian island of La Goneve. In 1990, Chuck and Nancy joined Trinity Presbyterian Church in Kearney, Nebraska, where he continues to serve in leadership roles and as a Sunday school teacher. Chuck’s leadership ability and character was also recognized by the Sterling College Board and president, which resulted in his appointment and service as a member of the Board for almost 20 years.
Sterling College Fine Arts Hall of Fame Inducts New Members The Sterling College Fine Arts Hall of Fame, established in 2009, recognizes individuals associated with Sterling College who have excelled in the areas of theatre, music, art and communications. The Fine Arts Hall of Fame is sponsored by College Alumni of Sterling Theatre (CAST), an Alumni-based, non-profit organization that supports the fine arts at Sterling College. New members will be inducted to the Hall of Fame bi-annually in the following three categories: Alumni, Patron, and Mentor.
Alumni Dr. Dennis Brewer ’71 has participated in the fine arts since his time at Sterling, where he participated in three musicals, played trumpet in the college band and sang in the choir. Upon graduation, Brewer earned his doctorate in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin, was faculty at the University of Arkansas where he taught and did research, and is now in administration at the University. He has continued using his musical ability by participating in opera workshops and singing with university choral groups and with the local symphony.
Book your next event at Sterling Sterling’s campus can be a haven of refreshment for your family, organization, or church group during the summer of 2012. Check out the possibilities Sterling can offer for your next conference, retreat, or reunion. Call 620-278-2173 for more information!
22 | STERLING MAGAZINE