Alumni honored by UW-Stevens Point
9/25/2014
 

Three alumni from Stevens Point are among the seven who will be honored for achievement and service as the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point marks 120 years and Homecoming weekend. 

The Alumni Awards Banquet Saturday, Sept. 27, recognizes a Distinguished Alumnus from each of the four colleges: Stevens Point native Peggy Rajski, ’75, of the College of Fine Arts and Communication; Rick Kaminski, ’72, of the College of Natural Resources; Chad Felch, ’95, of the College of Letters and Science; and Jodie Woodruff, ’02, of the College of Professional Studies. 

The Trailblazer Award will be presented to Danny Mitchell, ‘06, a Stevens Point native, for exceptional achievement within 10 years of graduating. The Mary Ann Nigbor Volunteer of the Year Award will be given to Michelle Thorp, ’94 and ’97, for outstanding service to the Alumni Association. The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Jim Anderson, ‘89, of Stevens Point, for going above and beyond throughout his career. 

Rajski is an Academy Award-winning filmmaker who won an Oscar for Best Live Action Short for her directorial debut, “Trevor.” She also founded The Trevor Project, a nonprofit organization and free 24-hour suicide hotline for gay and questioning youth. She has won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature and has produced or directed several films and television shows, including “ER,” “Little Man Tate” and “Eight Men Out.”

Kaminski, a professor of wildlife ecology and management at Mississippi State University for 30 years, is the James C. Kennedy Endowed Chair in Waterfowl and Wetlands Conservation. He has been honored for his numerous contributions to conservation, teaching and wildlife research, and is a fellow in The Wildlife Society. He earned his master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Michigan State University. 

Felch is a central Wisconsin native who works at Siemens Water Technologies’ Rothschild location. He has developed more than 200 inventions, authored or co-authored 15 patents and received the 2007 Inventor of the Year Award from Siemens. He donates time to assist with science experiments, internships and demonstrations at local schools. 

Woodruff is the creator and director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Education in Providence, R.I. Woodruff’s students have placed highly in national entrepreneurship competitions. She won the 2014 Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship Global Enterprising Educator Award.

 Mitchell works as a pianist, singer, composer and songwriter in Nashville, Tenn. He has performed around the country and released four studio albums, and his compositions have been performed in Carnegie Hall. He also created Music on a Mission, an annual holiday concert that raises funds for central Wisconsin charities. 

Thorpe, a Phelps native, led the Milwaukee chapter of the Alumni Association for three years and has volunteered for UW-Stevens Point in countless ways since 2002. A speech-language pathologist, she works with children with disorders such as autism, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UW-Stevens Point. 

Anderson is president of Ellis Stone Construction Company in Stevens Point and serves as an associate lecturer in the Department of Business and Economics at UW-Stevens Point. In addition to his four decades at Ellis Stone, he serves on many local, regional and national boards of directors and was the president of the UWSP Foundation Board of Directors for four years. He has been honored with several local awards.

 

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