The sound of old friends reuniting, champagne glasses clinking and beautiful piano music filled the air at the 2016 Alumni Awards Gala May 20 at the Spokane Convention Center. More than 175 people attended the event to honor Eastern’s inspiring alumni. “Tonight, we are thrilled to be here recognizing some incredible individuals and one great organization,” Kelleye Heydon ’95, president-elect of the EWU Alumni Association, said. “You will quickly learn that they are completely deserving of these awards.” Alumni were nominated for the awards in December, and a committee selected winners in March. The committee is composed of past winners, EWU Alumni Association board members and campus and community partners. Honorees were chosen (pictured left to right) for the following categories: Fred Wong ’64, Exceptional Military Service Susan Ashe ’12, Alumna of Service Amanda Swan-Roadruck ’16, ’09, Inspirational Young Alumna Matt Minton ’93, Eagle4Life Spirit Marilee Roloff ’73, Lifetime Achievement Jean Kay Swartz received the Presidential Philanthropy Award, and Numerica Credit Union was named Organization of the Year.
Watch videos of the 2016 Alumni Awards recipients by visiting our online story at ewu.edu/easternmagazine
JEAN KAYE SWARTZ Presidential Philanthropy Award Jean Kaye Swartz and her late husband, J. Herman Swartz, established endowed scholarships to support EWU students and have successfully supported students for more than 10 years. Neither Jean nor Herman graduated from Eastern, but they funded six EWU scholarships in various fields, including medical technology, nursing and biology. The Swartz family also established the first graduate fellowship for biotechnology students. “The parents come to some of the events and will say, ‘Oh you’re so wonderful, so generous.’ I say, ‘Look, these are not handed out to kids. Your child, who has a scholarship, has earned it,’” Jean once said. Herman wanted to establish scholarships so students could have the opportunity to go to college and have the advantage of higher education. “It was a benefactor who provided the money for my scholarship, and now I’m in a position to be a benefactor,” Herman once said. To ensure their legacy of supporting education lives on, the Swartz family has also established a planned gift to continue funding the scholarships.
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