Almost 500 staff members were honored for more than 10,000 years of combined service to Dartmouth at the annual Service Awards Banquet on June 19. The event, hosted by the Office of Human Resources, commemorates those who have worked 10, 15, 20, 25 and 26-plus consecutive years.
The festivities included a reception, dinner, and ceremony, celebrating employees on a humid evening at Leverone Field House. A highlight of the event was the presentation of the Sheila Culbert Distinguished Employee Service Award to History Department Administrator Gail Vernazza.
Provost Carol Folt (left) presents Gail Vernazza, a history department administrator, with the Sheila Culbert Distinguished Employee Service Award. (photo by Eli Burak ’00)
Myron McCoo, the vice president of the Office of Human Resources, welcomed the honorees and thanked them for their service, saying staff play a vital role at Dartmouth. “We are working to create a better future,” McCoo said, “We should be proud of the fact that in our day-to-day work and interactions we maintain the framework that nourishes and enriches some of the world’s most promising students.”
The annual Culbert award, established in 2008 to recognize a Dartmouth staff member for exemplary work performance, unwavering commitment to Dartmouth, and relentless pursuit of excellence, was named for Culbert, an employee who served Dartmouth from 1989-2008 in several roles, including as an advisor to former President Jim Wright.
Vernazza has worked in the History Department for more than 40 years.
In his nomination of Vernazza, Walter Simons, professor of history and chair of the department, presented a letter signed by 10 previous history department chairs who have worked with Vernazza.
“As the history department administrator, Gail manages the affairs of one of the largest and busiest academic units on campus,” Simons wrote. “Her multiple talents and ‘can-do’ attitude have lightened our collective burden as chairs, and (more important) facilitated and enriched the experience of our faculty colleagues and of the students we teach.”
Following the presentation of the Culbert Award, each honoree walked across the stage, shook Provost Carol Folt’s hand, and were presented with a gift and certificate. Pictures of each celebrated year group were taken after the ceremony (below).
Folt added her appreciation, discussing the positive impact that staff have on students, the Dartmouth community, and the entire Upper Valley.
“Our community can be viewed as an incredible mosaic made up of the tiles of our individual contributions. Together we produce a beautiful piece of art, and each tile in the mosaic becomes a part of something much bigger than it is alone,” Folt said. “We accomplish something transformative for our students, faculty, staff, and the community when we work together.”
For a complete listing of honored staff, see the Event Program (1.5 MB pdf).
The 25-year honorees. First row, from left: Beverly Lancaster, Bethanne Tillotson, Gary Gray, Mary Reed, Katrina Morgan, Dorothea Kingsbury, Peter Marsh, Cynthia Kendall, Joseph O’Donnell. Second row: Brenda Aiken, Sandra Blake, Cheryl Burns, Joan Sherman, Bruce Plummer, Candace Potter, Phyllis Gilbert, Mary Lee Biathrow. Third row: Chuck Page, Jeff Sassorossi, Marianne Densmore, David McGuire, Donna Vinopal, Jim Cardente, Kathleen Walker, Gary Agan, Bill Barr, Heidi Bellimer, Samuel Blake, Janet Whyte, Bruce Ueda, Larry McKinnon. (photo by Eli Burak ’00)
The 20-year honorees. First row, from left: Sakhina Begum-Haque, Kristen Bronner, Beth DiFrancesco, Judith Durell, Nicole Hamilton, Lesia Vorachak. Second row: Alla Kan, Kathy Phipps, Denise Smith, Donna Ayres, Jo Strohbehn, Cecilia Tittemore. Third row: Geoffrey Bronner, Betsy Alexander, Matt Smith, Heather Blunt, Cynthia Gilliland, Stephen Smith. (photo by Eli Burak ’00)
The 15-year honorees. First row, from left: Emily Allen Eckels, Peter Fontaine, V. Lynn Foster-Johnson, Margaret Funnell, Peter Licciardi, Carolyn Pelzel, Jane Piotrowski, Kate Soule. Second row: Bonnie Holbrook, Joann Brislin, Susan Jorgensen, Karen Pelletier, Kathy Weaver, Laurel Stavis, Susan Wills. Third row: Christine Crabb, Raymond Crosby, Donald Fitzpatrick, William Garrity, Kim Fogg, Lisa Gray, Frank Roberts. (photo by Eli Burak ’00)
The 10-year honorees. First row, from left: Alison Findon, Michelle Stoll, Kathleen Moore, Norman Hurd, Laura LaMontagne, Susan Wild. Second row: Peggy Allen, Debra Barton, Lisa Ford, Priscilla Grover, Karen MacPhee, Susan Mann, Sharon Morisi, Cynthia Tyler, Peggy Villar, Lynn White Cloud, Catherine Rentz. Third row: Joseph Broemel, Erin Clark, Kristina Fletcher, Elizabeth Fontaine, Deborah Gibbs, Terry Greywolf, Jennifer Hebb, Lara Judd, Owen McDowell, Corinne Pierce, Terri Sykes, Joanne Tortolano, Jill Newcity. Fourth row: Donel D’Cruze, Lorraine Dickerson, Linda Eickhoff, Ian Clark, Andrea Gilbert, James Burger, Janet Hicks, Kathleen Hill, Heather Pixley, Debra Reeves, Victoria Smith, Debra Stearns, Leslie Tait, Laura Ward. Fifth row: John MacDonald, Dustin Maurice, Allison Olmsted, Andrea Peck, Elizabeth Kelley, Valerie Langdon, Matthew Purcell, Jane Quigley, Almisha Readdy, Susan Rovell-Rixx, David Steiner, Cynthia Stewart, Peter Tannini, Karen Tombs. Sixth row: James Curtin, Alan Bergeron, Chris Scholtz, Sandeep Bramhe, Dennis Brown, Chrismas Converse, Jonathan Hall, Norman Clark, Tom Drinane, Shawn Rogers, Bennet Vance . (photo by Eli Burak ’00)
