OLD DOMINION GRAD HONORED AS CITIZEN OF THE YEAR

Rona Altschuler, a 1975 graduate of Old Dominion and event chairman of the annual Peninsula Relay for Life, was named Daily Press Citizen of the Year for 2000.

She was one of about three dozen Peninsula residents nominated for this year's award, sponsored by the Daily Press newspaper.

Under her leadership, the 360 relay teams and individual donors � 5,000 people overall � who participated in the Relay for Life in June raised $1.1 million for cancer research. This was her fourth year as chairman of the event and each year the relay has increased participation and financial success.

The success of the event helped the Peninsula affiliate of the American Cancer Society be recognized nationally as the third most productive in its size category, under 500,000 population.

By day, Altschuler, a Newport News, Va., resident, has spent the last 25 years working as a dental hygienist, the field in which she earned her bachelor's degree from Old Dominion.