I had the privilege of helping coordinate the 2013 Distinguished Alumni Service Awards dinner and banquet in November. What an experience that was! I was given the honor of meeting Mr. Booker T. Jones, Jr., The Honorable Shirley Abrahamson, and Dr. Roderick Paige and really connecting with them throughout the weekend.
Thursday night kicked off the festivities with a private dinner for the honorees, their guests, and the DASA club members. It was an intimate gathering in the Federal Room of the IMU. These three honorees were definitely celebrities that evening and the energy in the room was palpable.
Friday was a full day for the DASA honorees and club members. They attended a scholarship luncheon, in addition to the reception and banquet that evening. The 30 awards this year total $75,000 with each student receiving a $2,500 grant/scholarship. The DASA Club takes pride in awarding scholarships to students that have not been previously financially recognized by the university. One student is chosen to receive the Joseph O. Butcher Award, an additional $500 gift, established in 1988 to honor the student with the highest GPA of the DASA scholarship winners. The recipient’s name is engraved on a plaque that hangs in the Distinguished Alumni Room in the Memorial Union.
The students this year were phenomenal and I loved getting to know them and celebrating with them on such a wonderful occasion.
The last event of the weekend was the DASA Reception and Banquet. This was an exceptional event. Lots of meaningful connections and new relationships were made. The program was amazing and the speeches were thoughtful and focused on treasured memories of IU.
Shirley Abrahamson shared,
“I grew up in New York City, but in a very real sense I became an adult here in Bloomington. I learned how to learn, how to analyze difficult problems and how to assess the value of various solutions. I learned how to support myself and stand up for what I believe. I learned from my fellow students as well as from the faculty, and I learned as much outside of the classroom as I did within the walls of the law school. Each of our lives is the sum of all of our many experiences. The experiences I had here at Indiana University were among the richest and most important of my life.”
I look forward to 2014’s event and sharing my experiences with you next fall! Enjoy an interview with Dr. Roderick Paige in which Cornelius Wright, a member of the IUAA staff interviewed Dr. Paige on his life as an educator.
Nominations for 2014 are now available on our website.
Sarah Sparks, Alumni Event & Services Coordinator