2021 Lycoming College Summer Magazine

The Dale V. Bower Service Award is given to an individual for outstanding service rendered to Lycoming College. Seth Burch ’89 (2020) operates a Nationwide Insurance Agency located in Williamsport, Pa., where he and his wife, Debi, are licensed to write auto, home, life, flood, and business insurance to anyone residing in the state of Pennsylvania. “To me, winning this alumni award means I understand the value this institution provides individuals in the real world, and my parents put me on the right path to understand the importance of giving back,” Burch comments. Paul Henry ’66 (2021) is an executive professional with 40 years of experience as a behavioral healthcare CEO and management consultant. Since 1998, he has been president of Paul B. Henry Inc., a management consulting practice. “Lycoming taught me to think critically and apply my skills across a wide variety of opportunities. The small residential community allowed me to interact with other students, as well as faculty and staff, in ways that substantially contributed to my maturation and self-confidence,” says Henry. The Dr. James E. Douthat Outstanding Achievement Award is given to an alumnus/a who has achieved a significant accomplishment in his or her professional field that reflects positively on Lycoming College. Peter Onorati ’75 (2020) has spent the past 34 years as an actor, appearing as the lead or guest star in more than 40 films and 60 TV shows, including “This Is Us.” Prior to acting, he earned his M.B.A. and worked in the business world for 12 years. He shares, “I was the first of my generation in both my mother and father’s families to attend college, so just the word ‘alumnus’ alone was a big deal to everyone. I only wish they were here for the addition of the word ‘award,’ although I can still hear them saying, ‘AWARD?! For WHAT?!’ I consider THIS an achievement rather than a benchmark.” Gerald Lechliter ’67 (2021) spent his career in the U.S. Army and served in a variety of assignments with 14 years of service in Europe. He retired in 1999 and has since successfully represented himself, service members, and veterans pro bono in the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs disability evaluation systems. “My liberal arts education provided me with the breadth and depth as a history major to succeed in the military. Lycoming also provided me with an introduction to the Russian language, which I used in various Army assignments,” says Lechliter. “I took a variety of courses which allowed me to form my own philosophy of life, learn to think critically, write clearly, and to speak confidently to a group.” The Angela R. Kyte Outstanding Alumni Award is given to an alumnus/a who has demonstrated a lifetime of service to humanity and whose life exemplifies those qualities encouraged and fostered at Lycoming College and its predecessor institutions. Kristin Nash ’95 (2020) is the vice president of fundraising and events for Ignite Strategies. In addition to fundraising for political clients, she organizes and manages political action committees for national corporations and non-profits. “The people who have shaped my life — professors, coaches, and most of all my friends - have become lifelong imprints in my life,” says Nash. “Because of them, I am a better person, and I try to live up to what Lycoming has taught me every day!” Janice (Martin) Mitchell ’66, Ed.D. , (2021) is professor emerita of German and Intercultural/ International Education at Gallaudet University and remains one of only a handful of highly- respected Black Germanists in the U.S. “I appreciate and value that my education at Lycoming afforded me the opportunities to grow by allowing space and programming for my ‘whole’ talent to be seen and acknowledged alongside academics — personal and social growth at a pivotal time in our social history on a predominately white campus — providing an authentic sense of community and connectedness,” comments Mitchell. 33 www.lycoming.edu