Nine distinguished Cornell alumni have been selected to receive 2004 Frank H.T. Rhodes Exemplary Alumni Service Awards, recognizing their outstanding long-term service to Cornell volunteer activities within the broad spectrum of the university's various alumni organizations.
The recipients of the award, established in 1994 in the name of President Emeritus Frank H.T. Rhodes, are: Eleanor S. Applewhaite '59; Harry E. Bovay Jr. '36; Edward M. Butler '63, M.S. E.E. '65, and Nancy T. Butler '64; Emmett W. MacCorkle III '64 and Carol Britton MacCorkle '64; Josephine Mills Reis '29 and L. Sanford Reis '29; and Irene H.S. So '61. The award winners will be honored Friday, Oct. 15, during a Homecoming Weekend dinner and reception.
The following profiles were excerpted from the program for Friday's ceremony.
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Eleanor S. Applewhaite: For more than 30 years, Applewhaite has provided distinguished volunteer counsel and service to Cornell. She was general chair of the New York City area Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network and the first co-chair for the New York area Summer Job Network Committee. She has served on the Cornell Board of Trustees and is a past member of several universitywide councils and committees. She is a current member of the President's Council of Cornell Women and for two decades has served on the Arts and Sciences Advisory Council. An important role model for both African-American students and alumni leaders, she has worked as an effective and articulate advocate for racial, cultural and socioeconomic diversity in higher education at Cornell. Applewhaite has said, "It has been important to me to assist in making the enlightening and broadening Cornell experience available to others, particularly minority-group students for whom the dream of Cornell often does not have the support of sound secondary school guidance or relatives and friends who are college graduates."
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Harry E. Bovay Jr.: Bovay became an enthusiastic alumni leader in the 1950s when he stepped into the role of "Mr. Cornell" in Texas. A prominent citizen of Houston, he played an effective leadership role in developing and sustaining the visibility and prominence of Cornell, recruiting top students and raising funds for Cornell for many years. He was the driving force for establishing a chair and supporting program on the history and ethics of professional engineering at Cornell. In addition, he is a life member of the Cornell University Council and the Cornell Society of Engineers. He is the Class of '36 Major Gifts chair and Cornell Fund representative. Bovay is former president of the Cornell Alumni Association of Greater Houston and was a member of the Planned Giving Committee, the Engineering School Campaign Committee and the Houston City Campaign Committee for each of the past three university campaigns.
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Edward M. Butler and Nancy T. Butler: The Butlers' enthusiasm and generosity of spirit have significantly advanced Cornell's mission through an impressive range of organizations, including the Cornell University Council, the Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network, the Class of '63 and the Class of '64. A 14-year member of the Cornell University Council, Nancy Butler most recently served as vice chair of the Administrative Board and as chair of both the Student and Academic Services Committee and the Membership Committee. She also has chaired the Committee on Alumni Trustee Nominations and served on the Frank H.T. Rhodes Award Selection Committee. A Cornell Association of Class Officers director-at-large from 1991 to 1997, she has held numerous leadership positions over the past 30 years, including the presidency of the Class of '64. Ed Butler has served for 13 years on the University Council, chairing the Admissions and Financial Aid Committee from 1993 to 1996 and serving on the Technology Transfer Committee and the Career Advising Committee. He was a member of the Alumni-in-Residence Steering Committee and was a member of the Cornell Alumni Association Board of Directors. He currently is president of the Class of '63 and co-president of the Cornell Club of Monmouth/Ocean Counties (N.J.), which he co-founded in 1983. A member of the Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network advisory committees from 1981 to 1988, he chaired the Monmouth/Ocean Counties Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network from 1977 to 1999.
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Emmett W. MacCorkle III and Carol Britton MacCorkle: As a result of their efforts since 1968, the MacCorkles have sustained and enhanced the Cornell Alumni Association of Northern California and created a strong, meaningful network of Cornellians in California, including the highly successful Cornell Silicon Valley Initiative. Scores of Cornellians have benefited from their mentoring, and they have encouraged and advised students and young alumni seeking Cornell degrees and career opportunities in the Bay Area. Emmett (Mac) MacCorkle currently is serving his fifth term as a member of the Cornell University Council. He has held numerous leadership positions in the Cornell Alumni Association of Northern California and, together with his wife, has co-chaired the Major Gifts Committee for the 20th, 25th and 30th reunion campaigns for the Class of '64. Carol MacCorkle was a founding member of the President's Council of Cornell Women and served as its chair from 1993 to 1995. She served on the Cornell Board of Trustees from 1995 to 2003 and was chair of the Trustee Subcommittee on Alumni Affairs and vice chair of the Trustee Committee on Alumni Affairs and Development. She presently is an emerita trustee and a presidential councillor.
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Josephine Mills Reis and L. Sanford Reis: The Reises have been ardent Cornellians for 75 years. San Reis just attended his 75th reunion in June 2004. For many years, they have encouraged numerous other alumni to participate actively in the life of the university and worked to help create exceptional athletic, cultural and physical facilities enjoyed by the entire Cornell community. These include the Reis Tennis Center, the main stage in the performing arts center and the renovation of the hydroelectric plant on Fall Creek. They continue to support a sizeable scholarship fund and were honored as Builders of Cornell in 1983. As undergraduates, San Reis was editor of "The Berry Patch" and Class Poet, and Jo was in several honorary groups and was the top female athlete in her class. They have served their class and Cornell in a wide variety of capacities. Five other members of their immediate family also are Cornellians.
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Irene H.S. So: So's gratitude to Cornell for her education led her to reach out to Cornell's Asian students and alumni across the nation in order to engage them in university alumni affairs, networking, reunions and development events. As president of the Cornell Asian Alumni Association from 1995 to 1997, she was instrumental in ensuring the organization's vitality during its formative years. Within the Cornell Club of Northern New Jersey, she served on the secondary schools committee from 1974 to 1996 and on the board of governors from 1989 to 2000. She served on the University Council from 1997 to 2001 and contributed her time and counsel to several council committees, including the administrative board and annual meeting planning committee, which she chaired in 2001. She also served on the membership and public relations committees. She has served on the Cornell Alumni Federation's committee on alumni trustee nominations and as a director-at-large. She currently is a member of the President's Council of Cornell Women and the Library Advisory Council.
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