Distinguished Alumni to be Recognized at Alumni Honors Dinner Sept. 22
August 18, 2016
The Old Dominion University Alumni Association (ODUAA) will present its 2016 Distinguished Alumni Awards to six graduates and a long-time friend of the University at the Old Dominion Alumni Honors Dinner on Sept. 22, during Homecoming week.
The awards are given annually to graduates who brought extraordinary honor to Old Dominion University through distinction in their fields.
This year, Dori S. Roberts, '97 BS, '00 MS, who is the founder and CEO of Engineering for Kids, will receive the Outstanding Achievement Award, the highest honor given by the ODUAA. This award is given to graduates who demonstrate exceptional achievement in their professions and are recognized as leaders in their fields.
The Honorary Alumni Award, given in recognition of outstanding and meritorious service, will be presented to the Hon. Paul D. Fraim, former Mayor of Norfolk and current President of Fraim and Fiorella, PC.
The ODUAA Service Award will be presented to former Board of Visitors rector Ronald C. Ripley, '72, the president and a principal of Ripley Heatwole Company, Inc.
ODUAA will also recognize Anna-Maria McGowan, '99 MS, a senior engineer for complex systems design at NASA; J. Jerry Canada, '78, the retired CEO of Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance; Nancy M. Zirkin '69, executive vice president and director of policy at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and The Leadership Conference Education Fund; and Dr. Allan D. Kirk, '83, transplant surgeon, chairman of the Department of Surgery, professor in the Department of Immunology, professor of surgery and professor of pediatrics in the Duke University School of Medicine.
The Old Dominion Alumni Association traces its roots to the University's beginnings as the Norfolk Division of the College of William and Mary.
The school was founded in 1930. After the concerted effort of a number of the College's first four-year graduates, the groundwork for the present Old Dominion University Alumni Association was established. In 1957, a formal alumni organization was created and its first leadership team created. In 1985, in order to better serve the needs of the University, the association reestablished its independent, incorporated status.
The current Alumni Association Board of Directors represents more than 130,000 alumni in all states and 76 countries worldwide. Through the Board's active leadership, the Alumni Association established a number of programs to connect alumni and students to the University and each other, including chapters, career networking panels and events to support ODU Athletics. The Alumni Association also annually awards the Adam Thoroughgood Scholarship, which recognizes top students; and the Tonelson Award, which recognizes outstanding teaching, research and service among faculty.
The Old Dominion University Alumni Honors Dinner will be held on Thursday, Sept. 22, at 6 p.m., at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott.
Anyone interested in attending the Alumni Honors Dinner, or becoming a sponsor, should contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 757-683-3097 or email odualumni@odu.edu.