Marquette University will honor its accomplished alumni and friends during Alumni National Awards Weekend, April 26-28, for their personal achievements and support of the university. The celebration honors the distinguished award recipients from every college and professional school, all of whom represent the true spirit and mission of Marquette.
Short profiles of the honorees, including Alumni of the Year Karen Kane Swoboda, Eng ’90, and Charles M. Swoboda, Eng ’89, are available on the Alumni National Awards website.
All-University Award Recipients
Alumni of the Year Award: Karen Kane Swoboda, Eng ’90, and Charles M. Swoboda, Eng ’89
Chuck and Karen met in freshman English class and have been a team ever since they cheered together on the Marquette pep squad. While Chuck has spearheaded the remarkable growth of Durham, N.C.-based Cree Inc., leading the LED lighting revolution and growing the company from a small startup to a global market leader, Karen, a former civil environmental engineer, focused on raising the couple’s three children. Read their full bio here.
Professional Achievement Award: Wylie A. Aitken, Law ’65
Wylie has achieved local and national recognition and multiple awards for his achievements as a trial lawyer with the Santa Ana, Calif., firm he founded, Aitken Aitken Cohn. Yet he insists he’s never worked a day in his life, and once told a reporter, “I just go to the office to have a great time.” Read his full bio here.
Service to the Community Award: Bishop Donald J. Hying, Arts ’85
A Catholic bishop’s very vocation is servant leadership. Bishop Hying, known widely for his deep compassion, humility and kind heart, considers his work a privilege: “Being with people in the most poignant, meaningful, joyful and sorrowful moments and to speak of God and His mercy is a true blessing.” Read his full bio here.
Service to Marquette Award: Valerie Wilson Reed, Sp ’79
Valerie believes that service is the secret to a happy life. Fortunately for Marquette University, her service has largely been on behalf of her alma mater. “When you love something,” Valerie says of Marquette, “you want to nurture it and help it grow to its fullest potential.” Read her full bio here.
Spirit of Marquette Award: Bryon M. Riesch, Bus Ad ’02
Bryon is the very definition of perseverance. Despite a paralyzing accident early on in college, he went on to earn his degree, achieve professional success and establish the Bryon Riesch Paralysis Foundation, aiding individuals and funding scientific discoveries that he hopes will lead to a cure. Read his full bio here.
Friend of the University Award: Marianne and Sheldon B. Lubar
With a strong belief in the impact of education and a commitment to promoting dialogue around society’s most challenging public policy issues, Milwaukee philanthropists Shel and Marianne have invested in Marquette as an agent of change. Read their full bio here.
College Award Recipients
Each college will honor outstanding alumni at events throughout the weekend. The names of the alumni who be honored are below. Visit the Marquette University National Alumni Awards website for additional information on each award winner.
Helen Way Klingler College of Arts and Sciences
Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award – Dr. Patricia Holt Sackett, Arts ’75, and Dr. Paul R. Sackett, Arts ’75, Minneapolis, Minn.
Professional Achievement Award – The Honorable Christopher R. Foley, Arts ’75, Law ’78, Wauwatosa, Wis.
A Person for Others Award – Patricia A. Brannan, Arts ’75, Silver Spring, Md.
Young Alumna of the Year Award – Robert E. Croston, Jr., Arts ’05 (Posthumously), Chicago, Ill.
Association of Marquette University Women
Mary Neville Bielefeld Award – Michelle DeGuire Harrington, Arts ’92, Wauwatosa, Wis.
College of Business Administration
Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award – Christopher G. Goller, Bus Ad ’90, Grad ’95, Franklin, Wis.
Professional Achievement Award – Mark W. Boutelle, Bus Ad ’87, Grad ’91, Lake Villa, Ill.
Service Award – Catherine Mini Hetrick, Bus Ad ’86, Winfield, Ill.
Young Alumnus of the Year Award – Shawn M. Howard, Bus Ad ’02, Fairfax, Va.
William and Mary Diederich College of Communication
Communicator of the Year Award – Barbara Weeks Thompson, Jour ’74, Waukesha, Wis.
By-Line Award – Dr. Sybril M. Brown, Comm ’90, Hendersonville, Tenn.
Professional Achievement Award – Dr. Heather M. Stur, Comm ’98, Grad ’03, Hattiesburg, Miss.
Young Alumna of the Year Award – Lori Van Pay Richards, Comm ’02, Shorewood, Wis.
James T. Tiedge Memorial Award – Jenna M. Santoianni, Comm ’06, Los Angeles, Calif.
School of Dentistry
Distinguished Alumnus in Dentistry Award – Gerald J. Ziebert, D.D.S., Dent ’56, Grad ’71, Wauwatosa, Wis.
Outstanding Dental Service Award – Charles J. Ritter, D.D.S., Arts ’49, Dent ’52 , Oconomowoc, Wis.; Robert P. Ritter, D.D.S., Dent ’79, Milwaukee, Wis.; Thomas J. Ritter, D.D.S., Dent ’82, Towson, Md.
Young Alumnus of the Year Award – Tiffany L. Jonasen, D.D.S., Dent ’07, Duluth, Minn.
Friend of the School of Dentistry Award – John F. Bergstrom, Bus Ad ’67, Neenah, Wis.
College of Education
Distinguished Alumna of the Year Award – Sister Candyce C. Chrystal, OSB, Ph.D., Grad ’89, ’91, Yankton, S.D.
Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology Achievement Award – Dr. Michael B. Madson, Grad ’05; Hattiesburg, Miss.
Educational Policy and Leadership Achievement Award – Daryl D. Burns, Grad ’07, Milwaukee, Wis.
Friends of the College Award – Kathleen M. Roller and Paul J. Roller, Bus Ad ’60, Elm Grove, Wis.
Opus College of Engineering
Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award – Teresa Ferry Mogensen, Eng ’89, Grad ’03, Minnetonka, Minn.
Professional Achievement Award – William A. Feess, Eng ’51, Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.
Entrepreneurial Award – Robert J. Platt, Eng ’74, Elmhurst, Ill.
Friends of the College Award – Janet L. Shibilski and Frank R. Shibilski, P.E., Milwaukee, Wis.
College of Health Sciences
Distinguished Alumna of the Year Award – Helene Steinmiller Fearon, PT ’78, Phoenix, Ariz.
Professional Achievement Award – Dr. Todd J. Duellman, Arts ’95, H Sci ’97, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.
Service Award – Dr. Stephanie Treffert Lumpkin, H Sci ’10, Durham, N.C.
Young Alumnus of the Year Award – Eric H. Buchl, H Sci ’00, ’01, Frisco, Texas
Department of Intercollegiate Athletics
Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award – Dr. Lloyd T. Walton, Sp ’82, Chicago, Ill.James A. Lifetime Achievement Award – James A. Foley, Jour ’61, Houston, Texas
Young Alumnus of the Year Award – Andrew W. Craig, Arts ’09, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Friends of Marquette Athletics Award – Pamela B. Klumb and Dennis M. Klumb, Jr., Arts ’84, East Troy, Wis.
M Club Hy Popuch Memorial Service Award – Christine Kennedy Blonski, Arts ’95, Franklin, Wis.
Robert L. and William P. McCahill Award – Morgan E. Proffitt, Bus Ad ’17, Columbus, Ind.
Law School
Alumni of the Year Award The Honorable William C. Griesbach, Arts ’76, Law ’79, Green Bay, Wis.; The Honorable James A. Wynn, Jr., Law ’79, Cary, N.C.
Lifetime Achievement Award – William H. McEssy, Arts ’61, Law ’64, Lake Forest, Ill.
Howard B. Eisenberg Service Award – Julie Johnson Darnieder, Law ’78, Shorewood, Wis.
Charles W. Mentkowski Sports Law Alumnus of the Year Award – Jessica A. Kumke, Law ’08, Milwaukee, Wis.
College of Nursing
Distinguished Alumna of the Year Award – Elizabeth Bachhuber Simons, Nurs ’59, Naples, Fla., and Minneapolis, Minn.
Service Award – Nancy Happel Alsace, Nurs ’79, Toronto, Ontario
Friends of the College of Nursing Award – Dr. Anne M. Lent and David W. Watson, Law ’16, Whitefish Bay, Wis.
Alumni Association Board of Directors
Pedro Arrupe Award – Michael D. Ulrich, Business student, Evanston, Ill.