Alumni Association

Outstanding Alumnus Award Recipients through the Years

Awarded for 2008

William Munsell '68

• First Financial Aid Director for Lake Superior State College, 1967-1998
• President of Michigan Student Financial Aid Association, 1984
• Active volunteer in several community service organizations, with leadership roles in the Sault Lions Club, Boy Scouts, United Way, Sault Community Foundation, and the I-500 Committee
• Member and past president, EUP Board of Realtors, receiving Realtor of the Year award in 2007
• Longest consecutively serving Sault Ste. Marie City Commissioner, 1983 to present
• Active and enthusiastic member of LSSU Alumni Association Board of Directors, 2001 to present
• Longtime supporter of the LSSU Foundation

Awarded for 2007

F. James Knight ' 57

• Driving force behind establishment of Kemp Mineral Resources Museum
• Major advocate in identifying and soliciting donors for the Kemp Museum, organizing fund raising efforts, and personally donating funds toward the Museum
• Active participant in construction of display cases in Kemp Museum
• Retired as Executive Vice President of Gannett Fleming, Inc.
• Named Engineer of the Year by Harrisburg Chapter of PSPE, 1993

Awarded for 2006

Ronald “Bud” Cooper '49

• Has worked to strengthen LSSU by volunteering countless hours in numerous capacities
• Serves on LSSU’s Athletic Hall of Fame and Alumni Awards selection committees
• Serves on steering committee for Home Court Advantage, a campaign to replace the wooden floor in the Norris Center’s Cooper Gymnasium
• LSSU’s gymnasium was named in his honor in 2000
• Served as charter member of the revamped LSSU Alumni Association board of directors, which he chaired in the mid 1990s
• Spearheaded creation of annual golf tournament to benefit Lake State women’s athletics and athletic development
• Helped establish the Cager Club, a Laker basketball booster group
• Served as athletic director from 1957 to 1986
• Named professor emeritus by LSSU’s Board of Trustees in 1986
• Inducted into LSSU’s Athletic Hall of Fame, 1995
• Coached basketball for Sault Branch of Michigan College of Mining and Technology from 1954 to 1960, amassing a 100-32 win-loss record, good for a .826 winning percentage, the best of any coach in LSSU history
• Coached tennis, golf and bowling at Sault Tech

Awarded for 2005

Scott Shackleton '83

• Manager of Tanglewood Marsh Golf Course and serves on Chippewa County Board of Commissioners
• Current co-chair of the United Way of Chippewa County
• Former president of the Downtown Business Association and former member of the Sault Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors
• Served as a member of the State House of Representatives for three two-year terms
• During his tenure, wrote 27 pieces of legislation that became law, including a bill that would increase state funding for LSSU’s newly opened Art Center to 75% of the total project cost

Awarded for 2004

Randy Peterson '80

• General Manager, Precision Edge, a world leader in the design and manufacturing of surgical bone cutting tools, instruments and implants
• Director, Federal Reserve Board, Minneapolis District, 2003-2005
• Advocate for LSSU including the hiring of LSSU graduates, serving as a resource for campus and as a benefactor
• Active community leader including Habitat for Humanity, United Way and Rotary International
• Board of Directors, Michigan Workforce Development and Michigan Educational Advisory Board

Awarded for 2003

Nancy Rheaume '74

• Executive director for the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service, a world-wide agency that directs military, Department of Defense civilians and foreign nationals in the U.S. and 14 countries
• Recipient, Defense Logistics Agency's Exceptional Civilian Service award and medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States Department of Defense, 2002
• Recipient of the Meritorious Civilian Service Medal for the Environmental Program and Meritorious Civilian Service Medal for Reinvention
• A leader for innovations resulting in better business practices and a savings to the taxpayers of the United States

Awarded for 2002

Shan-Lien ( Tokyo) Chen '93

• One of the first to complete an accelerated MBA program at LSSU
• Now pursuing a doctoral degree at Chung-Nan University, one of the top 15 universities in China
• Instrumental in forming the first (and so far, the only) Taiwanese chapter of the LSSU Alumni Association
• Extremely popular and successful radio personality in the Taiwan Broadcasting Company and the China Broadcasting Company
• On the air seven days a week for at least eight hours a day
• President of the Visual and Audio Production Association of Taipei, which promotes cross-strait cultural exchange between mainland China and Taiwan
• Published a book entitled The Road of Life
• Enjoys traveling, having visited more than 80 countries
• Possesses extensive collection of chicken-blood stone, a rare mineral found only in China, carvings of which were once reserved exclusively for tributes to the emperor during the Ming and Ching dynasties
• Close friends with Donald Gerrie, director of LSSU’s first MBA program
• Member of LSSU’s Lake Ontario Society for lifetime giving in excess of $10,000
• Deceased in 2003

Mike Sawruk '72

• President of Sawruk Management Inc, headquartered in Winter Park, Florida
• Highly successful developer
• As a student, worked for the LSSU in the physical plant office and with Len Pianosi

Awarded for 2001

Gary Benjamin '70

• President and chief operating officer for Champion Inc., headquartered in Iron Mountain
• Began his career with Champion in its electrical division immediately after graduation
• Moved into Champion’s National Ready-mix Concrete Division as general manager, 1981
• Elected vice president, 1984 and senior vice president and board member, 1986
• Promoted to Vice President for Champion, Inc., 1996 and became involved in the company’s administrative affairs and business unit subsidiaries, Gundlach Champion, Inc. and Charter, Inc.
• Elected president and chief operating officer, 1999.
• Member of the first class to earn a bachelor's degree from then Lake Superior State College
• Charter lifetime member of the LSSU Alumni Association
• Played basketball for LSSC
• Member of LSSU’s Lake Ontario Society for lifetime giving in excess of $10,000

Awarded for 2000

Ronald Sober '70

• Owner/President, Northern Michigan Insurance Agency
• Dedicated and energetic LSSU advocate and benefactor
• Founding member of the Cager Club
• Charter member, revitalized Alumni Association Board of Directors, 1994 – 2001
• Inducted into LSSU Athletic Hall of Fame, 1995
• Member of LSSU’s Lake Ontario Society for lifetime giving in excess of $10,000

Awarded for 1999

Michael L. McDonald '71

• Officer/Senior Vice President for Administration, Wausau-Mosinee Paper Corporation
• General Manager/Vice President, Human Resource, Mead Corp., Publishing 1984-1997
• President, Pulp & Paper Manufactures Association 1995-1997
• LSSU Board of Trustees, 1994-1997
• Active in community, church and service organizations
• LSSU Foundation & Alumni Association advocate

Awarded for 1998

Barbara Cliff '79

• named vice president for clinical services of Cheboygan Memorial Hospital, August 2002
• Formerly vice president for nursing services for Holy Cross Saratoga Hospital in Detroit
• Nightingale Award for Excellence in Nursing Administration, 1997
• American Organization of Nurse Executives’ Policy and Legislative Advocacy Award, 1997
• President, Michigan Organization of Nurse Executives, 1997-98
• Member, board of directors, Southeastern Michigan Organization of Nurse Executives, 1995-97
• Sigma Theta Tau, National Honor Society of Nursing
• Active volunteer with LSSU Alumni Association projects and events
• Member of LSSU’s Lake Ontario Society for lifetime giving in excess of $10,000

Awarded for 1997

Patricia Caruso '75

• Named deputy director for Michigan Department of Corrections in Lansing, July 2002
• County Controller and Chief Administrative Officer for Chippewa County, 1983-88
• Began career with Michigan Department of Corrections, 1988; named warden for Chippewa Correctional Facilities, 1991
• Active LSSU volunteer including alumni projects and Gem of the North steering committee
• Member American Corrections Association, ACA Congress Planning Council, North American Association of Wardens and Superintendents
• Past president, Chippewa County United Way board of directors
• Treasurer, War Memorial Hospital board of trustees
• Member of LSSU’s Lake Ontario Society for lifetime giving in excess of $10,000

Awarded for 1996

Bernard Bouschor '75

• Chairman and executive director, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians since 1987
• Tribal Chairman Award, National Tribal/Indian Health Service, 1992
• Upper Peninsula Person of the Year, 1996
• Former member, LSSU Foundation Board of Directors
• Member, Bay Mills Community College Board of Regents

Awarded for 1995

Kevin P. Cooper, D.D.S. '79

• Served as first president of renewed Alumni Association, 1994-1995
• Graduated summa cum laude from Lake Superior State College, 1979
• Named Outstanding Student in Periodontics at University of Michigan, 1979
• National Health Services Scholarship recipient for UM Dental School, 1979-83
• Doctorate of Dental Sciences, University of Michigan, 1983
• Past president, Sault District Dental Society
• Extremely active in the life of the community and University
• Member of LSSU’s Lake Ontario Society for lifetime giving in excess of $10,000

Awarded for 1994

Judge Michael W. MacDonald '73

• Elected to the 91st District Court of Chippewa County in 1984, at age 34, one of the youngest citizens elected to state court judge and the first four-year degree LSSU alumnus to hold such a position
• Instituted several innovative programs in District Court including Night Court, Community Service Work Program, Out-County Court sessions and Judge for a Day
• Private law practice in Sault Ste. Marie 1982-1984
• Chippewa County Special Assistant Prosecuting Attorney 1982-84

Philip Youngs '55

• Principal, CEO and President of McNamee, Porter and Seeley, Inc.
• Principal in McNamee Advanced Technology and McNamee Industrial Services, Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Licensed Professional Engineer
• National/Michigan Society of Professional Engineers
• Retired officer, U.S. Army Reserve
• Now retired from engineering as well
• Member of LSSU’s Lake Ontario Society for lifetime giving in excess of $10,000

Awarded for 1993

Stuart D. Flynn, M.D. '75

• Professor of pathology, Yale University
• Yale Teacher of the Year, 1990
• Director, Molecular Pathology Laboratory, Yale University
• Researching molecular biology of cancer
• Graduate, The University of Michigan and Stanford University
• Father is Mike Flynn, retired Professor of English & American Literature at LSSU  

Mary Beth Skupien, MS, RN '80

• Former deputy associate director, Office of Health Programs, Indian Health Services, Rockville, Maryland
• Currently Director of Health for the Sault Tribe’s Health Center
• Committed her career and life to serving Indian people
• As a Native American, exemplifies traditional qualities of love, respect, cooperation, sharing, family, honesty, self-knowledge and wisdom
• Committed to improving public health practice with American Indians and Alaskan natives

Awarded for 1992

Sue Harrison '71

Best selling novelist whose books have been published in 14 countries

• Mother Earth, Father Sky published in 1990
• One of ten books chosen for " Battle of the Books," a statewide student reading competition in Alaska
• National bestseller in paperback.
• American Library Association's Best Books for Young Adults, 1991
• Nominated for 1993 Reader's Choice Award in Michigan
• My Sister the Moon released in 1992
• Brother Wind released in 1994, and several other best-selling books since then
• Former Lake Superior State University Trustee

Edwin C. Peterson, Ed.D. '56

• Chief, Education and Training Branch, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Hawaii
• Outstanding Individual and Program Excellence Awards from National University Continuing Education Association, Division of Military and Veterans Affairs, 1986
• Outstanding Service Award, Community College of the Air Force, 1985
• Received Department of the Air Force Meritorious Civilian Service Medal in 1983
• Adult Education Association of the United States of America Meritorious Service Award, 1979
• Member of LSSU’s Lake Ontario Society for lifetime giving in excess of $10,000

Awarded for 1991

Mitch Irwin '74

• Former juvenile counselor and parochial school teacher
• Served in Michigan State Senate, 1978-1998
• Senate Democratic Floor Leader, 1986-90
• Authored key laws aiding job development, conservation, education and senior citizens
• Co-sponsored landmark Michigan Education Trust
• President of The Irwin Group, Limited, a business development, investment and consulting firm

Awarded for 1990

Susan Theut, MD, MPH '76

• Outstanding Student of the School of Science and Technology, LSSC, 1976
• Recipient, Joseph Collins Foundation Scholarship, 1979-80
• Recipient of H.Y. Benedict Fellowship from the National Council of Alpha Chi, 1976-77
• Former resident, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Michigan
• Had a private practice, child and adult psychology, Washington DC
• Now Associate Clinical Professor of Psychology, George Washington University

Awarded for 1989

Joseph K. Lumsden '57

• First tribal chairman of Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, 1976-1987
• Guided the Chippewa Indians tribe to a position as a major force in Michigan Indian life
• Nationally recognized for his role in the eleven-year battle to win Indian fishing rights in Great Lakes treaty waters
• United States Marine Corp, Military Occupation Specialist, 1954-56
• Director of the Intercultural Exchange Program, Lake Superior State College, 1970-73
• President, The Original Bands of Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa Indians, 1973-76
• Facilitator of Indian Education for Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and Sault Ste. Marie Public Schools, Title IV-B, 1974-81
• Chairman, Chippewa-Ottawa Treaty Fishery Management Authority, 1981-87
• Died, September 1987

Awarded for 1988

Patrick Gagliardi '74

• Chippewa County Commissioner, 1980-82
• Elected to Michigan State House of Representatives, 1982
• House Majority floor leader, 1989-93
• Chair, House Oversight Committee
• Term-limited out of Michigan House, 1999
• Currently working for LSSU on contractual basis
• Member of LSSU’s Lake Ontario Society for lifetime giving in excess of $10,000

Awarded for 1987

Corydon L. Somes '67

• President of C.L. Somes Company since 1988
• Vice-President of Champion Incorporated, 1977-1988
• Served on LSSU Board of Trustees 1970-1985
• Youngest gubernatorial appointee to a college board in the nation
• Wrote charter and served as first president of LSSU Alumni Association
• Holds various patents and copyrights for electrical industry videos, articles and journals
• Served on four national advisory boards for electric utility manufacturers

Awarded for 1986

Robert D. Chelberg, LTG, U.S. Army retired '58

• More than 34 years of service to our country
• 32 years in the United States Army, retired as Lieutenant General
• West Point Graduate
• Presented with numerous military awards including Defense Distinguished Service Medal and Army Distinguished Service Medal
• Two years Senior Executive Service
• Deputy Director of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies
• President, Federation of German American Clubs
• Managing director of European Initiatives, Cubic Applications, Inc.

Awarded for 1985

David H. Freeborn '55

• U.S. Coast Guard Commander, LORAN Station, Talawpulan Island, Philippines, 1962-63
• Commander, Coast Guard Group Portage, Houghton, Michigan, 1963-65
• Chief, Aids to Navigation Branch, Coast Guard Office, U.S. Naval Forces, Vietnam
• Commanding Officer, USCG Woodrush, Duluth, Minnesota, 1968-71
• Commanding Officer, USCG Storis, Kodiak, Alaska, 1971-73
• Commanding Officer, Group Soo, Captain of the Port Soo, Sault Ste. Marie, MI, 1984-86
• Upon retirement from Coast Guard, owned and operated an appraisal company in Sault, MI
• Member of LSSU’s Lake Ontario Society for lifetime giving in excess of $10,000

Awarded for 1984

Truman R. Strobridge '49

• National Archives Scholar, American University, 1959-62
• Archivist, National Archives, 1959-61
• Historian U.S. Marines, 1961-63
• Chief historian, US Army, 1963-67
• Senior Historian Pacific Command 1967-70
• Historian for Joint Chiefs of Staff
• U.S.C.G. Historian stationed in Maryland.
• Author of more than 45 publications

Awarded for 1983

Louis Lukenda, DDS '49

• CEO of Tendercare ( Michigan), Inc.
• Formerly dentist in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
• Candidate for Parliament in 1972
• Active in civic, religious and fraternal organizations
• Charter member LSSC Foundation Board of Directors
• Lifelong advocate of Lake Superior State University
• Member of LSSU’s Great Lakes Society for lifetime giving in excess of $1 million

Awarded for 1982

Bruce Martyn '49

• The Voice of the Detroit Red Wings for nearly 30 years
• Former sports director for WCAR, Detroit
• Produced syndicated radio show "This Week in Michigan"
• Past president, Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association  
• Active in Michigan Cancer Society  
• Inducted into Michigan’s Sports Hall of Fame and NHL Hall of Fame
• Now retired  

Awarded for 1981

Joseph L. Venier '50

• Registered Professional Engineer of The Province of Ontario
• Employed by Algoma Steel Corporation since 1954, most recently as general manager of the industrial engineering department
• North American Industry Chairman, Material Handling Division of the American Institute of Industrial Engineers
• Past Chairman, Northern Ontario Chapter of The American Society for Metals
• Life Member of LSSU Alumni Association; past president and vice president
• Now retired from Algoma Steel  

Awarded for 1980

Michael Rellis '52

• Former regional director of upper-Egypt for CARE
• Served in Korea, Malaysia, Egypt, Liberia, Biafra, and South Vietnam for CARE
• Attended Tokyo School of Japanese Language
• Member of International Military Police in Korea  
• Now semi-retired, working as a youth talent advocate locally  
• History of involvement with local ice skating programs  

Awarded for 1979

Brian L. Youngs, MD '58

• Staff Physician Obstetrics & Gynecology, 130th General Hospital, Nuremberg, Germany, 1969-72
• Advanced Army Medical Department Course in Texas, 1973
• Recipient of Skinner Award for the Outstanding Physician, 1973
• Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel 1974
• Division Surgeon, 1st Infantry, Ft. Riley, Kansas, from 1976-77
• Selected for Army Preventive Medicine Residency in 1977
• Later worked for public health department in Petoskey

Awarded for 1978

Franklin W. Smith, DDS '56

• Chairman, Department of Orthodontics, University of Michigan School of Dentistry
• Published articles in Harvard Business Review
• Published numerous magazines and books
• Died, July 1998

Awarded for 1977

Calvin Shields '51

• President, CKS Consulting Services
• Career encompassed nearly 35 years with Central Soya, world leader in soybean processing and animal feed manufacture
• Past Director of Strategic Development and Director of Corporate Engineering for Central Soya
• Spent seven years overseas heading a dynamic and innovative engineering department for Central Soya
• Served in the U.S. Army as First Lieutenant 1953-55
• Now retired

Awarded for 1976

Robert H. Armstrong '51

Graduated with a B.S.M.E from Michigan Tech in 1953

• Employed with Ingersoll-Rand Company since 1956, eventually became Manager of European Operations of the Portable Compressor Division.
• In 1974, promoted to General Manager of Sales International
• Retired from Ingersoll-Rand and Telex
• Now deceased

Awarded for 1975

Vivian Cody, Ph.D. '63

• Long-time senior research scientist, Medical Foundation of Buffalo
• Awarded a National Institutes of Health grant to study molecular conformation of thyroactive compounds by x-ray
• Addressed Symposium of Structural and Biological Molecules in Stockholm, Sweden
• Read paper at Ninth International Congress of Crystalography in Japan
• Now senior research scientist, Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute of Buffalo, NY

Awarded for 1974

Donald E. Hamacheck, Ph.D. '53

• Professor of counseling, personnel services and educational psychology, Michigan State University, since 1960
• Consulting psychologist
• School consultant
• Producer of educational television and radio programs
• Author of three books dealing with psychology and self
• Published articles in numerous magazines and professional journals
• Now retired, Professor Emeritus

Awarded for 1973

Joseph A. Mandarino '49

• Associate curator of mineralogy at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto for more than 35 years; designated Curator Emeritus
• President of the Mineralogical Association of Canada; received the Leonard G. Berry Medal for service to the association
• Chairman of the Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names of the International Mineralogical Association; designated Chairman Emeritus
• One of twenty honorary members of the Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland
• Received the Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977
• Now retired

Awarded for 1972

Lawrence Futchik '47

• Member of the 1948 Soo Branch Pioneer class
• Worked for The Evening News as printer's devil and printer while attending Lake State
• BA from Lawrence University; MS and PhD studies at Purdue University
• Phi Bet Kappa and Sigma Xi honors
• Vice-President, Mars Incorporated, a large international business
• Appointed CEO, Mars-Eucom, 1970, directing Mars European businesses while living in Paris, Brussels and s'Hertogenbosch
• Senior Vice President, Mars Incorporated
• Now retired

Awarded for 1971

Douglas Schroeder F.A.I.A. - Principal '54

• co-founded the Chicago architectural Assistance Center and served as its first president in 1975.
• Chairman of the Mass Transportation Crisis committee, a consortium that successfully established a Regional Transportation Authority for the Chicago Metropolitan Area.
• Wrote the first history of Chicago's lakefront in 1964: "The Issue of the Lakefront, an Historical Critical Survey"
• Fellow of the American Institute of architects for outstanding service to the profession in 1981
• Chairman of the Illinois Futures Committee
• Now architect and owner of Douglas Schroeder Associates

Awarded for 1970

Donna M. Barras-Berry, M.D. '56

• Medical director since 1990 of Las Floristas Center for Applied Rehabilitation Technology (CART) - Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center, Downey, California.
• Member since 1989, Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center Foundation board of directors
• California governor's committee for the employment of the handicapped since 1978; vice chairperson, 1992-94
• National Handicapped Professional Woman of the Year, July 1972
• Inducted into governor's Hall of Fame for people with disabilities February 1992
• Medical consultant to the Los Angeles county school district, Aphasia program, 1965-1975

Awarded for 1969

Terry McDermott '62

• State, National and North American Speed skating champion
• 1964 Olympic champion 500 meter speed skating (gold medal)
• 1964 Olympic record 500 meter speed skating 40.1 seconds
• 1968 Olympic silver medal winner, 500 meter speed skating
• 1968 U.S. flag bearer, opening ceremonies 1968 Olympic Games
• Now owner of Champion Plastics in Rochester Hills, MI

Awarded for 1968

Patricia James, Ph.D. '53

• Published numerous books, articles, and audio/video cassettes
• Fulbright scholar, Louvain, Belgium 1955-56
• McCormick Fellowship, Yale University, 1957-59
• Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Yale University, 1965-70
• Full Professor of Philosophy, Kent State University
• Arts and Sciences Humanities Teaching Award, Kent State University, 1973
• College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Teaching Award, Kent State, 1981, 1983
• Now Professor of Philosophy Emerita, Kent State University