On June 21, traffic stopped often as swarms of people crossed North Park Street in Hanover heading for Leverone Field House. But it was not an athletic event the crowds came for; it was the annual Employee Service Awards Banquet at which Dartmouth honors non-faculty staff who have given 10, 15, 20, 25, and 26-plus years of service to the College.
Inside, with Leverone decorated for the banquet—the field house transformed by green and white curtains and filled with round tables set for dinner—a large screen displayed a video of student workers talking about the impact Dartmouth’s staff had on their undergraduate experience. The staff “helped me shape and narrow my career goals,” said Lauren Dowling ’11. “They help make Dartmouth the amazing place it is.“
In his message to the staff, President Jim Yong Kim said, ”Every day, you touch the lives of thousands of students, faculty, and colleagues in person and from behind the scenes.“ Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Steven Kadish told the audience, ”Your work matters every day,“ noting that the honorees had ”more than 10,000 years of service combined.“
President Jim Yong Kim presents the Sheila Culbert Distinguished Employee Service Award to Robert Lester, Dartmouth Dining Operations culinary operations manager. (photo by Rob Strong)
A major feature of the annual service awards dinner is the presentation of the Sheila Culbert Distinguished Employee Service Award. The award was established in 2008 by President Emeritus James Wright and Susan DeBevoise Wright to recognize a staff member who has made a difference to the College and to his or her colleagues, demonstrates a commitment to the highest work ethic and exemplary work performance, is both selfless and unwavering in dedication to the institution, and is relentless in pursuit of excellence.
The 2011 Culbert Award went to Robert Lester, culinary operations manager at Dartmouth Dining Services, for his work setting up a kosher kitchen for Dartmouth Hillel and ”going well beyond the normal boundaries in his work“ to foster a spirit of community at Dartmouth.
After the Culbert Award presentation, staff who were being celebrated were called by name and shook hands with the President, after which they had group pictures taken (below). For a complete listing of honored staff, see the event program (5 MB pdf).
The 25-year honorees. Front row, from left: Carlene Kimball, Brenda Freeland, Aileen Chaltain, Andrew Faunce, Charlene Durkee, Laura Lee Dukeshire. Middle row: Wallburga Croteau, JoNell Hamilton, Deborah Johnson, Kathleen O’Neill, Kathryn Page, Doralie Stanley, Suzanne Young. Back row: Elizabeth Stanley, Gregory Elder, David Avery, Kenneth Clifford, John Hendrick, Jeffrey Smith. (photo by Rob Strong)
The 20-year honorees. Front row, from left: Christine Bothe, Woody Eckels, David Lemere, Catherine Lindsay, Ann Munves Malenka, Charlotte Williams. Back row: J. Mark Boughter, Todd Langille, Dale Balch, Richard LaRocque, Sally Batton Ulery, Richard Brittain, Winston Chambers, Cami Thompson Graves, Lesley Wellman. (photo by Rob Strong)
The 15-year honorees. Front row, from left: Barbara Sagraves, Betty Armstrong, Heather Arnold, Michael Silverman, Susan Tvaroha, Tonya Carpenter, Michele Robinson. Middle row: Tamara Morgan, Kim Rheinlander, Lisa Hayes, Eleanor Cassady, Mary Batchelder, Kathy Burnham, Ruth Farney, Ridie Ghezzi, Gidget Lyman. Back row: Michael Blayney, John Wallace, Michael Wilds, Matthew Wiencke, Stephen Hopkins, Theresa Ciambra, Jean Lariviere, Craig Layne, Karen Riccardi. (photo by Rob Strong)
The 10-year honorees. First row, from left: Laleh Talebian, Sun Kim, Wen Li, Marnetta Miller, Amy Mitson, Shuling Peng, Rebecca Carson Rogers, Darlene Royce, Diana Samuels, Emilie Shipman, Susan Simon, Andrea Tillotson, Claire Walton. Second row: Lisa Wallace, Joyce Wagner, Amy Fowler, Sharon Dubois, Heather Darnall, Patricia Amidon, Keely Ayres, Sandra Brown, John Cocklin, Judy Cossingham, Heather Gere, Tina Lord, Karen Summer. Third Row: Kenneth Simoneau, Ian Gregorio-De Souza, Ronald Chabot, Pauline Bickford, Richard Bibeau, Gary Alafat, Robert Adams, Jeffrey Busch, Seth Chambers, Jeffrey Cook, Kimberly Hoyt, Barbara Knauff, Cheryl Wheelock. Fourth row: Tracy Walsh, Donna O’Gara, David Newlove, Julie Cloud Hermann, Deborah Forward, Robert Donin, Daniel Cullen, Travis Gere, Kenneth Holbrook, Robin Lull, David McGrath, Timothy McNamara. Fifth row: Donald White, Christianne Wohlforth, Rebecca Torrey, John Tansey, David Ricker, Dean Stanley, Kathy Stroffolino, Stewart Stryker. (photo by Rob Strong)
