Indiana University

News Release

Monday, June 4, 2007

Last modified: Monday, June 4, 2007

IU’s Cream and Crimson Weekend coming up June 15-17

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Cook, Beckley and volunteers among those being honored

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 4, 2007

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University alumni from around the world will be on the IU Bloomington campus June 15-17 for the annual Cream and Crimson Alumni Weekend. As part of the festivities, numerous alumni will be honored.

Highlights of the weekend include a barbecue, two awards banquets and breakfasts hosted by IU schools. Reunions are planned for the classes of 1957 and 1967, the School of Law-Bloomington Class of 1957 and the Emeritus Club.

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

Also at the banquet, the IUAA will present its President's Awards, the highest honor bestowed by the association on alumni volunteers. The recipients this year will be Michael L. McCurry, of Clarendon Hills, Ill.; Trina S. Miller, of Granger, Ind.; and Leslie R. Wright, of Borden, Ind. During the barbecue lunch on Saturday, the IUAA will present the Gertrude Rich Award and the Bill Orwig Medal.

Audrey J. Beckley, Indianapolis, 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 IU Alumni Association. Rich was the wife of Claude Rich, who served as director of the IUAA from 1948-68.

William A. "Bill" Cook, 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 to 1975.

During a banquet Saturday evening, IU will present the Distinguished Alumni Service Awards, the highest award given solely to alumni. The recipients this year will be Kathryn R. Booth, New York; Jesse H. Cox, Carmel, Ind.; Francois B. Delachaux, Hunawihr, France; Richard L. Johnson Sr., of Columbus, Ind.; and Viola J. Taliaferro, Bloomington, Ind.

The IUAA's Executive Council and alumni chapter leaders will conduct training and business meetings on Friday and Saturday.

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

Audrey J. Beckley

Beckley, the recipient of the Gertrude Rich Award, graduated from IU in 1964 and worked for 27 years as a medical technologist. Beckley has served on the IU Alumni Association Executive Council and the alumni board of the IU Division of Allied Health Sciences. With her husband, Ken, who was president and CEO of IUAA from 2002-07, she co-chaired the Division of Allied Health Sciences development campaign, part of a $1 billion campus-wide campaign for Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

During her husband's term at IUAA, she participated in numerous university and alumni events on all eight IU campuses and throughout the United States. She is a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority and has been honored with its Merit Roll Award for devoted and distinguished service.

William A. "Bill" Cook

Cook, the recipient of the Bill Orwig Medal, is the founder of Cook Group Inc., a Bloomington-based manufacturer of medical devices which has provided significant financial support to universities, hospitals and physicians throughout the U.S. A 1953 graduate of Northwestern University, Cook holds an honorary law degree from IU and served on the IU Board of Trustees from 1995 to 1998.

The William and Gayle Cook Music Library on the Bloomington campus is named for Cook and his wife. Cook founded the Monroe County (Ind.) YMCA, now the largest in the state. He is the recipient of numerous industry, community and historic preservation awards, and in 1990 was named "Most Influential Bloomingtonian" by the Bloomington Herald-Times newspaper.

Michael L. McCurry

McCurry, the recipient of the President's Award, is originally from Indianapolis and was recruited to IU to play football. After earning his degree from the university in 1986, he was a professional football player for three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings of National Football League and the Chicago Bruisers of the Arena Football League.

McCurry now works as a real estate investor and realtor. He is an elder of Christ Church of Oak Brook and has spent 16 years volunteering in the youth ministry. From 1998 to 2005, he served as president of the Chicago Chapter of the IU Alumni Association. He and his wife, Amy, live in Clarendon Hills, Ill., with their three children.

Trina S. Miller

Miller, also a recipient of the President's Award, is a paralegal at Miller & Miller in Elkhart, Ind. A 1984 IU graduate, she served on the IU Alumni Association Executive Council from 2003 to 2006. She also has held leadership positions in the Elkhart, St. Joseph and Marshall county alumni chapters. She is a member of the IU Varsity Club and Hoosiers for Higher Education, and served on the IU South Bend Alumni Board. Miller is a member of Alpha Omicron Pi sorority and served as president of its Michiana Alumni Chapter from 1992-94. Miller and her husband, Bob, live in Granger, Ind.

Leslie R. Wright

Wright, also a recipient of the President's Award, earned a bachelor's degree in 1962 and a master's degree in 1967, both from IU. He is a former teacher and coach who retired after 26 years as athletic director at Floyd Central Junior-Senior High School in Floyds Knobs, Ind. He is a board member of the Louisville/Southern Indiana Chapter of the IU Alumni Association and a member of the IU Varsity Club, and has served on the boards of numerous community and professional organizations. Wright and his wife, Janet, live in Borden, Ind.

The Indiana University Alumni Association is dedicated to serving the university and its diverse alumni, students and friends. As one of the nation's largest alumni organizations, serving more than 495,000 graduates worldwide, the IUAA provides many programs and services to its members, non-member alumni and the university. For information, visit www.alumni.indiana.edu or call (800) 824-3044.


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