College honors outstanding alums
On November 7, the College honored three stellar alumni at the annual Alumni Honors Banquet: Etta Kralovec ’70, Distinguish Alumna Award; Brad Cairns ’87, Outstanding Young Alumnus Award; and Charles J. Swindells ’64, Donald G. Balmer Citation.
Hosted by Lewis & Clark College and its Board of Alumni, the banquet took place at the Benson Hotel in downtown Portland. The event focused on the awardees’ voluntary service to the College and their professional achievements.
Charles Blanchard ’81, former chief counsel for the U.S. Army, delivered the keynote address. He spoke about the profound effect Lewis & Clark had on his career direction and the value of a liberal arts education.
The College honored Kralovec for her outstanding career in alternative education, the roots of which she traces to the support of her Lewis & Clark English professors. She is vice president for learning with the Training and Development Corporation in Maine, where she designs alternative learning environments for at-risk and homeless students.
Cairns spoke about how the research emphasis at Lewis & Clark—and in his chemistry major—molded his passion for research. He is currently researching therapies for curing childhood cancer at the University of Utah.
Swindells’ daughter, Whitney, accepted the award for her father, who had recently been sworn in as the U.S. ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa and was therefore unable to attend. Swindells gave his acceptance address via video and spoke of his commitment to service and his fondness for his former professor Don Balmer, U.G. Dubach Professor Emeritus of Political Science.
Nominations are currently being accepted for next year’s awards. Please use the form below to submit your recommendations. The 2002 awards banquet is scheduled for November 7.
