Alumni Awards

Alumni Citations & Awards

It is an honor to annually recognize deserving Maryville College alumni, highlighting their immense contributions to the College, their communities, and/or their professions. Below are the winners of the 2023 Alumni Citation Award, Kin Takahashi Young Alumni Award, and the Distinguished Service Award. If you would like to nominate an alumnus for an Alumni Award, learn more about the process and complete the form. Names of the alumni award winners since 1999 are also included on this page.

Alumni Citation

This award may be made to any alumnus/a of Maryville College who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, initiative, or service in his/her community, church or profession. Alumni Citations are presented at Founder’s Day during Homecoming weekend.

2023 Award Recipients

Denise Hinds
Denise A. Hinds ’80
Denise A. Hinds ’80

Denise “Blinky” Hinds ’80 was courted by MC as a basketball player during her years as a high school player in Brooklyn, New York. Her college career began in Iowa, but after two years, Hinds transferred to Maryville College. As a Scot, the recreation and sociology major was a member of the volleyball team and captain of the Scots Women’s Basketball team.

After graduation, she spent a year with Volunteers for Social Services in Dallas, serving as the recreation director for a residential facility for troubled young people. She returned to New York, where she served as a Catholic nun for 13 years, working directly with at-risk youth, eventually leaving the convent after realizing she was gay. She continued to work with Good Shepherd Services, where she currently serves as the chief program officer for youth and family well-being.

During her time at Good Shepherd Services, she’s helped develop programs making a difference in the lives of the organization’s clients, including the development and implementation of the Chelsea Foyer, the agency’s first supportive housing program for young adults experiencing homelessness and one of the first programs of its type in the country. For 10 years, she’s also led the organization’s LGBTQ workgroup in creating a culture of awareness, acceptance, and celebration for its LGBTQIA+ children, youth, families, and over 1,000 employees. Denise is also on the board of Family Equality, serves as Chair of the Newark LGBTQ Community Center. In 2022, she was named one of NYC’s LGBTQ+ Power Players by PoliticsNY,and was honored with a Gay City News Impact Award.

Denise earned a master’s in social work from the Hunter College School of Social Work and completed the Executive Education Program at Columbia University Graduate School of Business. She is certified as a New York State licensed master social worker. She has also served as a member of the Maryville College Alumni Association’s Diversity Taskforce since its 2020 inception.

Watch Alumni Citation Honoree Video >
Adam McCall
Adam A. McCall ’99
Adam A. McCall ’99

A native of Maryville, Adam McCall graduated with engineering degrees concentrating in math and physics, having served as a member of the Mountain Challenge team throughout his college. His participation in a dual degree program allowed him to complete a second degree in mechanical engineering from Tennessee Technological University in 2001, after which he began working as an engineer with Sverdrup Corp. at the Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tullahoma, Tennessee. Later, he earned his MBA in international business from Tennessee Tech in 2005.

McCall helped launch the Knoxville-based sustainable technology start-up IdleAire Technologies, where he worked as a mechanical design engineer at first, eventually being promoted to director of engineering and to vice president of product development. During his tenure, the company grew from 10 employees to more than 1,100 and raised more than $500 million in capital.

Beginning in college, a love of wakeboarding earned him sponsorships as a competitive wakeboarder, including one with Malibu Boats. In late 2007, he began collaborating on a new boat design brand which he later named Axis Wake Research. As managing director of Axis, he oversaw design, production, sales and marketing, the success of which led to an executive role with the parent company, Malibu Boats. He remains an active advisor and consultant to Malibu, but in 2013, he left to become president and CEO of TennEra, a subsidiary of the University of Tennessee Research Foundation.

He created Prisma Renewable Composites as a spin-off of TennEra, which has partnered with the Joint Institute for Advanced Materials at the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory in pursuit of the development of sustainable materials. McCall’s investment and entrepreneurial interests have helped to create a variety of other companies. McCall continues to connect with MC students through his entrepreneurial initiatives and continued involvement with Mountain Challenge.

Watch Alumni Citation Honoree Video >

  • 2022 – Dr. James H. Laster, 1956, and Dr. Madlon Travis Laster, 1956
  • 2021 – Dr. Karla Beard Heildelberg, 1988, and K.C. Cross, 1990
  • 2020 – Carey Coghill, 1972, and Jeff Coghill, 1970
  • 2019 – Arthur Masker, 1969
  • 2018 – William Heird, 1958
  • 2018 – Betty Hammers Wiley, 1953
  • 2017 – Richard Henderson, 1957
  • 2017 – Melissa Barker Johnson, 1990
  • 2016 – James Cummings, 1956
  • 2016 – E. Ross Hamory, 1970
  • 2015 – Steven Diggs, 1988
  • 2015 – George Poland, 1961
  • 2014 – William DeWeese*, 1964
  • 2014 – C. Randy Massey, 1981
  • 2013 – Paul Elliott, 1963
  • 2013 – George Schember, 1963
  • 2012 – Alvin Baker, 1972
  • 2012 – Thomas Jones, 1952
  • 2011 – T. Bryson Struse, 1961
  • 2011 – Melissa Walker, 1985
  • 2010 – G. Donald Hickman, 1970
  • 2010 – Carl McDonald, 1963
  • 2009 – Alvin Nance, 1979
  • 2009 – Elizabeth Welsh *, 1959
  • 2008 – Terry Dick Dykstra, 1961
  • 2008 – Roger Nooe, 1962
  • 2007 – George Carpenter *, 1953
  • 2007 – James McCall, 1957
  • 2006 – Corita Erwin Swanson, 1958
  • 2006 – Mary Lee Witherspoon, 1956
  • 2005 – Martha Hess, 1967
  • 2005 – Robert Shelton *, 1955
  • 2004 – George Ogle, 1951
  • 2004 – Kenneth Tuck, 1954
  • 2003 – Sue Anthony Dawson, 1969
  • 2003 – Penny Proffitt Piper, 1969
  • 2003 – Sharon Youngs, 1979
  • 2002 – Harold Cones, 1965
  • 2002 – Sheridan Greaser, 1960
  • 2002 – John Shew *, 1951
  • 2002 – Susie Shew *, 1952
  • 2002 – Sarah McNiell *, 1953
  • 2001 – Frank Cross *, 1942
  • 2001 – Clifford Henry, 1950
  • 2001 – Stanley Shields *, 1937
  • 2000 – James Fisher, 1955
  • 2000 – Clyde Flanagan, 1962
  • 1999 – Boydson Baird *, 1941
  • 1999 – Joseph Dawson, 1969
  • 1999 – Henry Van Hassel, 1954

* = Deceased


Kin Takahashi Award for Young Alumni

This award shall be given to any alumnus/a who has, within 20 years of his/her graduation of Maryville College, lived a life characteristic of College legend, Kin Takahashi, Class of 1895, who in his 36 years of living, worked tirelessly for the betterment of his alma mater, his church and his society. This award is presented at Founder’s Day during Homecoming weekend. 

2023 Award Recipient

Mark Libell
Mark W. Libell ’03
Mark W. Libell ’03

Mark W. Libell ’03 is the recipient of the 2023 Kin Takahashi Award for Young Alumni, a reflection of his career dedicated to public service after graduating with a degree in history, followed by a law degree from the University of Alabama School of Law and a Master of Law in tax from Georgetown University Law Center. Originally from Florence, Alabama, he currently serves as the chief of staff for U.S. Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock of Georgia.

Libell joined Warnock’s team with more than 15 years of congressional experience, having previously served as legislative director and deputy chief of staff to Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama and legislative director to Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia. He has also worked for Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Rep. Linda Sanchez of California and Rep. Bart Gordon of Tennessee, as well as assistant congressional liaison at the Federal Reserve under then-Fed Chair Janet Yellen.

Recently, Mark helped former Sen. Jones create a Congressional experience course at Boston College, where Jones served as a visiting professor, and during his time in Washington, he’s routinely made himself available to answer questions, host and meet with MC students interested in working in Washington, D.C., as part of the federal government.

Watch KT Award Honoree Video >

  • 2022 – Cory Howard, 2010
  • 2021 – Dr. Adam Prichard, 2003
  • 2020 – Valerie Malyvanh Jansen, 2001
  • 2019 – Mathew Murrill, 2008
  • 2018 – Frank Twum-Barimah, 2004
  • 2017 – Shaun Hayes, 2006
  • 2016 – Marissa McInnis, 2004
  • 2015 – Joshua Phillips, 2008
  • 2014 – William Gavin Lodge McCammon, 1999
  • 2013 – Smith Jean-Philippe, 2000
  • 2012 – Christie Latimer Knapper, 2004
  • 2011 – Preston Fields, 2003
  • 2010 – John Trotter, 1995
  • 2009 – Yvette P. Franklin, 1998
  • 2008 – Kristi Falco, 2001
  • 2007 – Kristine Renee Tallent, 1996
  • 2006 – Erin Palmer, 1999
  • 2005 – Adriel McCord, 2000
  • 2004 – Julie Walker Danielson, 1994
  • 2003 – Christen McCammon Khym, 1996
  • 2002 – William F. Lukens, 1991
  • 2001 – John Francis Heidelberg, 1987, and Karla Beard Heidelberg, 1988
  • 2000 – Jonathan A. Allision, 1990
  • 1999 – Kandis Schram, 1995

Distinguished Service Award

This award may be made to any alumnus/a of Maryville College who has rendered unusual service in any capacity on behalf of the College. This award is typically presented at Convocation at the beginning of the fall semester. Note: In 2020, the criteria of the Distinguished Service Award was changed to limit awardees to alumni or former students.

2023 Award Recipient

Bruce Guillaume
Bruce Guillaume ’76
Bruce Guillaume ’76

At the end of the 2022-23 academic year, Bruce Guillaume ’76 — the recipient of this year’s Distinguished Service Award — stepped down as the director of Mountain Challenge, a milestone year that saw the organization celebrate its 35th anniversary under his leadership. The College’s on-campus partner in wilderness adventures, team-building exercises and fitness and environmental campaigns, the organization was established by Guillaume in 1987, 11 years after he earned his diploma from MC in psychology.

Traditional social work didn’t suit him, and in deciding what kind of career he envisioned for himself, the answer was an easy one: using the outdoors as both a playground and a place of inspiration. Mountain Challenge began as a way to promote team-building through activities that forced participants to rely on one another, and to do so in an environment that fostered a deeper appreciation for the scenic wonders and natural beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains and their surrounding foothills.

The first Mountain Challenge events were held at Camp Wesley Woods, a summer retreat in nearby Townsend, and in 1987, the program began operating on the MC campus. Guillaume raised funds to build the ropes course in the College Woods and the following year, Mountain Challenge tripled its corporate client base. The program was then incorporated into the College’s orientation activities and in 1993 the iconic Alpine Tower was built on campus. In 1998, Mountain Challenge was organized as a limited liability company (LLC), signing its first long-term lease with Maryville College.

Now, Mountain Challenge serves 7,000 to 8,000 clients annually, including about 2,500 Maryville College students, and employs 15-20 MC students each year. Under Guillaume’s leadership and vision, a nonprofit arm of Mountain Challenge —Fit.Green.Happy®, along with the Outdoors is Medicine®  brand — encouraged students and community members to spend time spent outside in order to improve their physical and mental well-being.

From environmental efforts at Crawford House, Mountain Challenge’s on-campus headquarters, to his contributions to the establishment of Environmental Studies and Environmental Science majors (along with the expansion of the Outdoor Recreation major into Outdoor Studies and Tourism), Guillaume has remained committed to the land that nurtures Maryville College and the mindset of Scots who find in it a similar connection. He and his wife, Wendy Magee Guillaume ’81, have one daughter — Emily Guillaume ’15 — and will remain active in both community and College efforts, even after retirement, to promote environmentalism and sustainability.

Bruce was presented the Distinguished Service Award at a retirement celebration and ceremony at the Crawford House on Saturday, May 13, 2023. Photos from the event can be seen here.

  • 2022 – Austin Coleman “Cole” Piper, 1968
  • 2020 – Alvin C. Baker, 1972
  • 2020 – Gail Bradley Hafner, 1960
  • 2020 – Elizabeth Walton Blackburn, 1958
  • 2020 – Judy Pike Woods, 1971
  • 2020 – Robert Kennedy, 1971
  • 2010 – C. Charlton Mabry, 1950
  • 2005 – John J. Duncan, Jr.
  • 2003 – Roy F. Kramer, 1951
  • 2002 – Darrell Akins
  • 1999 – John C. McQueen, Jr., 1934
  • 1998 – Margaret A. Cooper
  • 1997 – Lindsay Young
  • 1994 – James A. Haslam
  • 1993 – Duncan S. Ferguson
  • 1991 – Stanley B. Shields, 1937
  • 1991 – Irma K. Young
  • 1991 – Price Gwynn, III

MC Medallion Award

The Maryville College Medallion is the highest award presented by the College. Awarded since 1990, it recognizes those individuals who have helped immeasurably toward perpetuating the College as a distinctive educational and cultural institution and who have had a profound influence on the future course of Maryville College.

  • 2021 – Mary Kay Sullivan, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, Management
  • 2015 – Steve T. West
  • 2012 – Terry A. Bunde, B.S., Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Chemistry
  • 2010 – Kenneth D. Tuck, M.D.
  • 2009 – Martha Hess
  • 2006 – Dean Boldon, Ph.D.
  • 2005 – Sheridan H. Greaser
  • 2004 – Harold D. Lambert
  • 2004 – Jean T. Lambert
  • 2003 – Joseph J. Copeland, B.D., D.D., LL.D.
  • 2002 – Diane Humphreys-Barlow
  • 2001 – Boydson H. Baird
  • 2000 – Arthur S. Bushing, LITT.D.
  • 1999 – Richard E. Ragsdale
  • 1998 – Harry H. Harter, D.S.M.
  • 1997 – Elizabeth H. Bradford
  • 1996 – Algie Sutton, LL.D.
  • 1995 – Arda S. Walker, Ph.D.
  • 1994 – Dan M. McGill, Ph.D., LL.D.
  • 1993 – Tutt S. Bradford, LL.D.
  • 1992 – Connie F. Davis
  • 1992 – Carle M. Davis
  • 1991 – Carolyn L. Blair, Ph.D.
  • 1991 – James N. Proffitt, M.D.
  • 1990 – Harwell W. Proffitt

Wall of Fame

The Maryville College Wall of Fame, located within MC’s Cooper Athletic Center, was established by the Honaker Club in 1975. Today, it is an ongoing project sponsored by the Maryville College Athletic Department. Its purpose is to recognize outstanding individuals who have contributed to the tradition of MC Athletics. Over the years, more than 200 Maryville College student-athletes and supporters of the athletic department have been honored for their accomplishments. Learn more about the 2023 honorees at mcscots.com.


 
Make A Nomination

The privilege of submitting nominations for any alumni award is given to alumni, past and present faculty and staff members, and friends of Maryville College. Nominations are accepted on a rolling basis for consideration by the Maryville College Alumni Association. To nominate an outstanding alumnus/a, please read the award descriptions and determine the best fit for your nominee. Then, complete the online nomination form. You may submit additional supporting materials via the nomination form or by emailing the Alumni Office.

Note: The Wall of Fame honorees are determined by a committee governed by the Maryville College Athletic Department. Wall of Fame nominations can be submitted for consideration via this online nomination form.