Meredith College Presents Alumnae Awards
By Melyssa Allen
The Meredith College Alumnae Association presented four awards for alumnae achievement during Alumnae Reunion Weekend, held May 20-22.
During the Alumnae Awards Ceremony on Friday evening, the Distinguished Alumna, Career Achievement, Young Alumnae awards were presented, followed by a reception in the Massey House. The Alumnae Philanthropy Award was also presented. (See Meredith College Presents Alumna Philanthropy Awards.)
Mary Jo Clayton, '46, of New York, N.Y., received the Distinguished Alumna Award. Established in 1968, this award is given to an alumna who has demonstrated extraordinary accomplishments in her career, service to Meredith and service to her community.
Clayton was recognized for her work in advertising for companies including Macy's, Clairol, Proctor & Gamble and Newsweek, as well as for her service to Meredith and her community. She has done pro-bono work for the Anti-Drug Abuse Campaign of the National Institute of Mental Health, coordinated events for the Children For Children Foundation, which was co-founded by Meredith alumna Silda Wall Spitzer, and been involved with the White Calf Woman's Society on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, which provides care and protection for victims of spousal abuse.
Nancy Hall, '55, of Winston-Salem, N.C., and Hunter Darden, '80, of Statesville, N.C., are the recipients of the Career Achievement Award. Established in 2002, the award is given to an alumna who has dedicated herself to excellence in her profession and has distinguished herself by notable achievement credited to her over a continual period of time.
Hall, a recipient of the Governor's Order of the Long Leaf Pine award, was recognized for her career in social work, focusing on the needs of aging populations. From 1955-1970, she worked for the Forsyth County Department of Social Services, eventually becoming director of training and services. Hall then worked for 10 years at the UNC School of Social Work where she was an administrator, faculty member and advisor, while serving on school committees and as part of several training programs. She also worked for the North Carolina Division of Social Services and The Children's Home, Inc. in Winston-Salem.
Darden, the owner of Sunfleur Publications, Inc., has written children's books The Everlasting Snowman, Pete's Angel, Milliseconds of Joy, The "Reel" Thing, and the novella Tapestry. She is a freelance writer for the Iredell Neighbors section of the The Charlotte Observer, and her first book, The Everlasting Snowman, has sold over 16,000 copies.
Amy Davis, '97, of Raleigh, N.C., received the Recent Graduate Award. Established in 1984, this award is given to an alumna who has graduated from the undergraduate program within the past 10 years and who has achieved significant accomplishments in her career and/or volunteer pursuits.
Davis teaches at Clayton High School, in Clayton, N.C. In 2004, Davis was named a Kenan Fellow for Curriculum and Leadership Development. This prestigious program promotes teacher leadership, addresses teacher retention, and advances K-12 science, technology and mathematics education. She was the recipient of the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science Educator of Excellence in 2004. In 2005, she was a presenter at the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) National Conference. She is also an alumna of the N.C. Center for the Advancement of Teaching.
Nutshell Archives:
August 04
September 04
October 04
November 04
December 05
January 05
Feb/March 05
April 05
May 05
This month Garry Walton, dean of Meredith's School of Humanities and Social Sciences and professor of English, will spend a week in China guest lecturing to faculty and students at Yunnan Nationalities University in Kunming, China. He will travel with seven faculty members from the University of Virginia who will also teach classes at the university.
Lisa Pearce, associate professor of art, led her students in this project, which used pieces from scales which were "smashed" at a February event designed to help people give up being a slave to the scale. The "Scales Are for Fish, Snakes and Musicians" event was organized by Ellen Morrison, a registered dietitian and eating disorder specialist earning a Master of Science degree in nutrition at Meredith. Members of the Meredith community and of the public were invited to bring a bathroom scale or a food scale to smash at the event.
Eleven pieces were included in the No Diet Day exhibition, which was held May 6. A total of 24 students created pieces for the project, and the exhibition was determined by student vote.