Six Honored at Alumni Association Awards Ceremony
During Reunion on June 6, six alumnae were presented with Mary Louise Armstrong Wolf or Golden Disc Awards by the Arcadia University Alumni Association.
Given in memory of Mary Louise Armstrong Wolf ’36, the Mary Louise Armstrong Wolf Award is presented in recognition of service to Arcadia through Alumni Association committee work and special events. The Golden Disc recognizes achievements in business or community leadership that greatly enhance Arcadia’s prestige.
Joan Peppelman Clougherty ’55 and Pelley Sablove Brown ’65 each received Mary Louise Armstrong Wolf Awards acknowledging their consistent service through Alumni Association volunteer work, such as planning Reunion.
Lyanne Lindo Wassermann ’61 and Emily Perkins Capella ’77 were awarded the Golden Disc Award for Meritorious Service and the Golden Disc Award for Distinguished Achivement, respectively. Born and raised in the Republic of Panama, Wassermann has always been grateful to her alma mater for providing a welcoming place for her as an international student. She has remained a strong advocate for Arcadia, serving on its Board of Trustees, University Advancement Committee and Global Studies Committee, as well as working with honors students and regularly supporting the University’s Alumni Career Mentor Program.
Capella received the Golden Disc Award for Distinguished Achievement, in recognition of her career as an educator in the Cherry Hill, N.J., area. She has served as director of Programs and Planning, assistant superintendent, and superintendent of Schools for the Lenape District office and is currently interim principal and superintendent of Schools for the Rancocas Valley Regional High School District.
Sara Accardi ’07 and Meghann Ryan ’07 received Young Alumni Golden Disc Awards for Distinguished Achievement. Accardi performs, directs, and coaches actors and serves as associate manager of Individual Giving and Events for Theatre Development Fund in N.Y.C. Previously working at Bristol Riverside Theatre, Accardi launched a successful campaign for its education program ArtRageous and has cultivated funding for the William Penn, Wyncote, Shubert, NEA, and Independence Foundations.
Ryan has presented work on popular culture at conferences such as the Popular Culture Association, the American Culture Association, the Mid-Atlantic Popular and American Culture Association, the College Reading and Learning Association, and the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Women’s Consortium. She is also a mentor in Arcadia’s Alumni Career Mentor program and volunteers on its planning committee.
Reunion Giving Awards
As the Reunion class with the highest percentage of donor participation over a five-year period, at 39%, the Class of 1955 received the Ethlyn Selner Mack Bowl. The Class of 1980 was awarded the Bette E. Landman Plate, named for Dr. Bette E. Landman ’04H, president emerita, as the Reunion class giving the largest five-year combined gift to Arcadia. The class’s total gift amounted to more than $422,800.00.
Reunion Class Gifts
In addition, four Reunion classes presented Arcadia with special gifts to honor this reunion year:
- The Class of 1955 raised more than $9,400 this year to provide general scholarship support to students.
- The Class of 1960 raised more than $18,100 this year to support the arts and athletics.
- The Class of 1965 raised more than $59,300 as its five-year gift to support the University’s core programs.
- The Class of 2000 raised funds this year to benefit the Jami Rodriguez Endowed Scholarship, awarded to juniors or seniors involved in community service, with a preference given to Fine Arts majors.
The total combined five‐year Reunion gift from all classes was $904,677.57.
Annual Fund awards for fiscal year 2015 will be announced shortly.