Indiana University

News Release

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Last modified: Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Alumni volunteers to be honored at IU's Cream and Crimson Alumni Weekend June 19-21

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 9, 2009

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University alumni from around the world will be on the IU Bloomington campus June 19-21 for the annual Cream and Crimson Alumni Weekend.

Activities include meetings of the IU Alumni Association Executive Council, a luncheon, the annual Chapter Leaders Conference and induction into the Emeritus Club for alumni who graduated 50 years ago. There will be two awards banquets, breakfasts hosted by several IU schools and a reunion for the class of 1959.

An awards banquet Friday evening will honor alumni chapters for service to IU and local communities. The IUAA has more than 100 chapters around the world engaged in student recruitment, social and networking activities and community service.

At the banquet, the IUAA will present its President's Awards, the highest honor the association bestows upon alumni volunteers. The recipients this year will be James M. Elliott, of Bloomington, Ind.; Robert L. Forste, of Columbus, Ind.; Louise E. Goggans, of Indianapolis; Michael T. Mann, of Bloomington, Ind.; Patrick J. O'Connor, of Indianapolis; and Oscar C. Ventanilla Jr., of Quezon City, Phillipines. All are life members of the IUAA.

During the luncheon on Saturday, the IUAA will present the Gertrude Rich Award and the Bill Orwig Medal.

Lynn V. Lewis of Clarksville, Ind., will receive the Gertrude Rich Award, which is presented each year to a woman who has exemplified the spirit of Gertrude Rich in making outstanding contributions to the IUAA. Rich was the wife of Claude Rich, who served as director of the IUAA from 1948-68.

Jane Hoeppner, of Bloomington, Ind., will receive the Bill Orwig Medal, which recognizes outstanding contributions made by a non-alumnus or non-alumna to the IU athletics program. The award is named for Bill Orwig, IU's director of athletics from 1961-75.

During a banquet Saturday evening, the IUAA will present the Distinguished Alumni Service Awards, the highest award given solely to alumni. This year's recipients will be Birch E. Bayh Jr. of Easton, Md.; William F. Carroll Jr., Dallas; David G. Elmore, Manhattan Beach, Calif.; Kathleen Ligocki, West Bloomfield, Mich.; and Lynn E. Gassoway-Reichle, Valparaiso, Ind. DASA recipients were profiled in an earlier release available online at https://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/10729.html.

Following are brief bios of the Rich, Orwig and President's award recipients:

Lynn Vaught Lewis

Lewis, the recipient of the Gertrude Rich Award, received a bachelor's degree in music education in 1966 and a master's degree in education in 1982, both from IU. Lewis began volunteering with the IUAA in the early 1990s. She was a board member with the Jacobs School of Music Alumni Association and became that group's Executive Council representative in 1992. From 1996-98, she was secretary for the IUAA Board of Managers. In 2000 she became vice chairwoman of the Board of Managers, working her way up to chairwoman in 2001.

A life member of the IUAA, Lewis has been active with the Louisville/Southern Indiana Chapter of the IU Alumni Association, the Varsity Club, and the Woodburn Guild. She served on the IU Bloomington Chancellor Search Committee in 2000 and on the 2001 IUAA President Search Committee after President and CEO Jerry Tardy, BS'62, passed away in September of that year. A retired school counselor and choral music teacher, Lewis currently works as development director for Bloomington-based Phi Delta Kappa International Educational Foundation. She and her husband, Ray, live in Clarksville, Ind.

Jane Hoeppner

Hoeppner, the recipient of the Bill Orwig Medal, is the wife of the late Terry Hoeppner, former head football coach of the Hoosiers.

In 2006 she served as honorary co-chair of the IU vs. Purdue Blood Donor Challenge. Since coach Hoeppner's death in June 2007, she has remained involved with the university and the football program, including the Capital Campaign for IU Athletics. She and her family traveled to Tempe, Ariz., with the Hoosiers to cheer them on as they lived out coach Hep's "Play 13" goal at the Insight Bowl in December 2007.

Hoeppner is a board member for the Coach Hep Indiana Cancer Challenge, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Hannah House/Crisis Pregnancy Center. She is also a member of the Young Life Steering Committee and Sherwood Oaks Christian Church. Hoeppner has three children -- Amy Fox, Allison Balcam and Drew Hoeppner -- and four grandsons, Tucker, Spencer, Tate and Quinn. A former third-grade teacher and curriculum coordinator, she lives in Bloomington, Ind.

James M. Elliott

Elliott, a President's Award recipient, earned his bachelor's degree in business at the IU Kelley School of Business in 1964 and his law degree from the IU Maurer School of Law in 1969. He is president of Bloomington-based Elliott & Associates, where he specializes in investment and wealth management.

Elliott is a member of the IU Alumni Association's Investment Committee (since 1993) and the Audit Committee (since 1996). He served as Audit Committee chairman from 1996 until 2002. From 2001-04, he was an at-large member of Executive Council. A life member of the IU Alumni Association, Elliott was instrumental in obtaining the lead gift for the DeVault Alumni Center campaign. Elliott is also a member of the I Association and Hoosiers for Higher Education. He has received the Clevenger Award from the I Association and the Jerry Tardy Pride of Indiana Award from the IU Foundation.

Elliott and his wife, Jannette, reside in Bloomington, Ind.

Robert L. Forste Jr.

Forste, also a President's Award recipient, received a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1968 and a medical degree in 1971, both from IU.

A past board member of the Bartholomew County Chapter of the IU Alumni Association, Forste served on the IUAA's Executive Council as an at-large member and constituent society representative. He also served as the chairman of the IUAA's Board of Managers. Forste served the IU School of Medicine Alumni Association as board president three times and was a member of the School of Medicine's Dean's Advisory Council. Additionally, he served as president and vice president of the Woodburn Guild, of which he is currently an active member. Forste is a Hoosiers for Higher Education community captain, an IUPUI Advisory Council member and a life member of the IU Alumni Association. In 2004-05, Forste was a member of the IUAA Strategic Directions Task Force, and in 2004 he was also honored with the Maynard K. Hine Medal for outstanding service to the IUPUI campus.

Forste is a retired orthopedic surgeon living in Columbus, Ind.

Louise E. Goggans

Goggans, a President's Award recipient, received three degrees from Indiana University -- a bachelor's degree in home economics in 1956, a master's degree in education in 1969 and a doctor of medical science degree in nutrition in 1982. She also has marriage and family therapy certification from Butler University.

As one of the charter members of the Neal-Marshall Alumni Club, Goggans has been an active leader in developing the Indianapolis chapter of the club. She recently stepped down as president of the IU School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Alumni Association, having served in that role since 2006. Additionally, she was a board member for the former Home Economics Alumni Club. The School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences gave Goggans the Spirit of Philanthropy Award in 2006 for her financial support and volunteer service.

Goggans resides in Indianapolis with her husband, Otis, and works at G & C Consulting.

Michael T. Mann

Mann, a President's Award recipient, was a student in IU's Kelley School of Business and received his bachelor's degree in marketing in 1991. He has been actively involved with the Monroe County, Ind., Chapter of the IU Alumni Association since 2003, serving first as a board member and then as president. Under his leadership, the chapter has received numerous honors including Chapter of the Year, Circle of Excellence, Membership Matters and IU Cares awards. He will step down as president of the chapter in July.

As a leader among alumni chapter leaders, Mann has served as a mentor and facilitated numerous sessions during the annual Chapter Leaders Conference in Bloomington. He also volunteers with Hoosiers for Higher Education and is an avid supporter of the IU Varsity Club.

He is the marketing manager for Bloomington's T.I.S. Group. Mann and his wife, Lisa, live in Bloomington with their three children.

Patrick J. O'Connor

O'Connor, a President's Award recipient, has served the IU Alumni Association with distinction since graduating in 1974 with a bachelor's degree in business. He became active in the Indianapolis Men's Club and served in several leadership roles from 1975-88 as board member, vice president and president. As a former letter winner in swimming, O'Connor held leadership roles in the I-Men's Association of the IUAA, and eventually served as first president of the I Association when the I-Men and I-Women Associations merged in 2006. In 1999, he was honored with the Clevenger Award for distinguished service to the IU Athletics Department.

O'Connor is a past member of the IUAA's Executive Council, Varsity Club Board of Directors and the IU Foundation's Steering Committee for the 2004 Class Campaign and the 1997 Councilman/Billingsley Aquatics Center Capital Campaign.

O'Connor and his wife, Cynthia, have four children and reside in Indianapolis, where he is an executive with City Securities Corp.

Oscar C. Ventanilla Jr.

Ventanilla, a President's Award recipient, completed a master's degree in business administration in 1961 and a master of laws degree in 1962. He returned to the Philippines to begin his law practice, where he specializes as a tax consultant with Philippine Airlines.

Ventanilla has been involved with IU alumni events and activities since 1983, when he served as president of the Philippines Chapter of the IUAA for one year. In 2000 he became president of the IU Alumni Foundation Philippines Inc., the newer incarnation of the chapter, which revived IU alumni activities in that part of the world and where he continues to serve as leader. Most recently, he and his wife, Carmen, along with other alumni, organized the donation of school supplies following the devastation of Typhoon Reming in 2008. Under his leadership, the chapter received IUAA's Circle of Excellence award in 1999, 2000 and 2007.

The Ventanillas reside in Quezon City, Philippines.

About the IU Alumni Association

The IUAA is dedicated to serving the university and its diverse alumni, students and friends. As one of the nation's largest alumni organizations, serving approximately 520,000 graduates worldwide, the IUAA provides many programs and services to its members, nonmember alumni and the university. For information, visit https://www.alumni.indiana.edu or call 800-824-3044.


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