Alumni honored by UW-Stevens Point
10/15/2018

Six alumni and two distinguished friends of the university will be honored for achievement and service as the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point marks Homecoming weekend.

The Distinguished Alumni Awards banquet will be held Saturday, Oct. 20, at the Dreyfus University Center. 


 From left, Judy Galbraith, Jon Greendeer, Travis Livieri, Cindy Ratzlaff, Don and Tina Peters, Keno Hawker, Gerald Avery

Four alumni, one from each college, receive the Distinguished Alumni Award for exceptional achievement in their respective professions:

  • Judy Galbraith, '76, Minneapolis, Minn., of the College of Professional Studies, president and founder of Free Spirit Publishing, Inc.;
  • Jon Greendeer, '04, Stevens Point, of the College of Letters and Science, executive director of Heritage Preservation for the Ho-Chunk Nation;
  • Travis Livieri, '93 and '07, Wellington, Colo., of the College of Natural Resources, wildlife biologist, founder and executive director of Prairie Wildlife Research; and
  • Cindy Ratzlaff, '74, Allentown, Pa., of the College of Fine Arts and Communication, president of Brand New Brand You Inc.
The Mary Ann Nigbor Volunteer of the Year Award honors those who have given freely of their resources, which directly or indirectly benefit UW-Stevens Point. This year's award is going to Tina and Don Peters, Stevens Point. Tina is a chief collaborator and community fundraiser and Don is retired senior level officer at Associated Bank.


The Lifetime Achievement Award, given to an alumnus who, over the course of 20 years or more since graduating from UW-Stevens Point, has achieved overall greatness in any given area -professional, service or personal. This year's award will be presented to Keno Hawker, '69, Paradise Valley, Ariz., former mayor of Mesa, Ariz., and owner and president of Hawker Trucks and Materials.

The Trailblazer Award is bestowed on an alumnus who, since graduating less than 10 years ago, has achieved outstanding professional accomplishments in his or her area of study, employment or research. This year's award will be presented to Gerald Avery Jr., '08, North Hollywood, Calif., a current cast member of "Hamilton" and past cast member of "Motown the Musical" and "Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark."

For more information about the Distinguished Alumni Awards, contact UW-Stevens Point Alumni Affairs at 715-346-3811 or go to https://give.uwsp.edu/alumni-awards.


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