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Distinguished Service Award 2000s

The Distinguished Service Award is presented annually to an alumnus/a or friend in recognition of his/her personal commitment to the ideals and objectives of the Stetson University Alumni Association and dedicated service and advancement of the goals of the University.

2009

H. Douglas Lee*
& Margaret Easley Lee

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Respected and revered for both their professional and civic achievements, Dr. H. Douglas Lee and Dr. Margaret Easley Lee have for more than two decades epitomized Stetson University to students, alumni, and the wider community.

First as Vice President, then Executive Vice President, and finally for 22 years, President of the university, Doug Lee has never faltered in his commitment to strengthening the long-established values and high academic aspirations of this institution. His has been the clear vision and the steady hand at the helm as Stetson made the transition from a small, church-affiliated university to an internationally respected 21st century university. Today, Stetson affirms its core values through a strong commitment to community engagement and social justice.

He has worked tirelessly to ensure that the university is financially secure and academically excellent. He has established, and helped the university reach, high standards for student and faculty diversity, international involvement, and community service. Under his leadership, Stetson has become a transformational force in the lives of those with whom it is associated.

Always by his side, as loving partner, strong supporter, and wise counselor, has been Stetson's First Lady, Margaret Lee. Through her passion for Stetson's mission, her leadership and support of the arts and of charitable work in DeLand, Volusia County and the state of Florida, she has set a gracious example for all who would improve our world. By her life and her actions, she has enhanced the reputation and respect for Stetson University. The university community recognized her many contributions in 2008 by awarding her the honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters.

 

2004

Michael R. Fronk '74

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Michael Fronk served as president of the Stetson University Alumni Association from 2002 to 2004, working hard to build bridges between alumni, students, parents, friends, faculty, and staff. He gives generously of his time to attend alumni and prospective student events, always presenting the Stetson message in an engaging style.

Under his leadership, the Alumni Board of Directors re-aligned its priorities with those of the University, restructured itself to better represent key constituent groups, established new initiatives to interest alumni, led the completion of the Meadows Alumni House backyard beautification, and created the Outstanding Young Alumni Award.

A 1974 religious studies graduate, Michael Fronk served as a resident advisor and head resident at Stetson. He was a member of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity and was the first president of the Student Judicial Council. He also worked as a minister to youth in area churches. After graduation, he spent a year as a Stetson admissions counselor, and went on to earn a master of divinity degree in 1979 from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville.

President-owner of Fronk-Hartman and Associates, Inc., a marketing and consulting firm working with funeral homes across the nation, he was a full-time pastor in Florida and Indiana churches until 1986, when he began working in the funeral industry. Currently pursuing his church ministry as a volunteer, he also serves as chaplain of the Independent Funeral Directors of Florida. Oldest of four children to graduate from Stetson, he and his wife Stephanie have six children, two of whom, Christopher and Jamie, graduated from Stetson in May of 2003.

Active in the DeLand community, he serves on the DeLand Planning Board and is vice president and president-elect of the DeLand Museum of Art. He is a member of the DeLand Breakfast Rotary Club and the board of directors of the DeLand Fall Festival of the Arts. He served on Stetson's Board of Trustees during his term as Alumni Association president, and is a member of the Stetson University Hatter Club. An avid motorcyclist, he belongs to the Harley Owners Group.


2003

Michael W. Raymond* '68

A devoted teacher, Dr. Michael W. Raymond has served on Stetson University’s English faculty since 1972, building a reputation for focusing on his students and subtly leading them to discover and develop their own talents.

A Stetson graduate, Raymond earned his master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Florida, and returned to his Alma Mater to teach. An innovative professor, he has taught courses jointly with colleagues in geography, psychology, sociology, law and economics - learning from them and using their disciplines to teach writing.

An advocate of Stetson’s values, his university service includes conducting writing workshops, helping to launch the University Experience course for new students, and directing First-Year English for many years. He has represented the faculty on the Annual Fund committee and served as faculty advisor to both the student newspaper and the campus literary magazine. He often participates in a student-led poetry group and currently serves as the faculty representative on the Stetson University Alumni Board of Directors.

Beyond Stetson, he serves as a writing and educational consultant to such firms as Florida Hospital Medical Center, Orlando: Humana Hospital Corp., Louisville; and AT&T, New York. A prolific writer, his publications range from academic critiques of modern literature to works of fiction and creative nonfiction. Drawing from his own experience, he has published several books and manuals on living well with diabetes, including The Human Side of Diabetes: Beyond Doctors, Diets and Drugs. He also frequently publishes articles on the art of teaching.

Raymond received Stetson’s 1992 McEniry Award for Excellence in Teaching, the highest honor the university bestows upon active faculty members; and Stetson’s Hand Award for Creativity and Research in 2002. He was named Florida Professor of the Year in 1993 by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, and designated an “Exemplary Teacher” in 1996 by the U.S. Department of Education. He also held the Nell Carlton Endowed Chair of English for four years.

 

2002

Thomas E. Stringer, Sr.

edicated to Stetson University and its missions, Thomas E. Stringer Sr. is a fair and hard-working jurist and a man of many “firsts.” He was the first African-American graduate of the Stetson University College of Law (1974), and later became the university’s first black trustee. In the judiciary, Thomas Stringer was the first black circuit judge in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit. He was elevated to the Second District Court of Appeal where he was also the first African-American appellate judge in the district.

Stringer has served the people of Hillsborough County, the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit and Second District as an appellate, circuit and county judge; private attorney; and prosecutor since 1974. Stringer serves the community through membership in and dedication to many organizations, including the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Tampa, Pi Iota chapter of Omega Psi Phi fraternity, Tampa chapter of the NAACP and Tampa/Hillsborough County Youth Council Inc. He also serves Bay Area Legal Services Inc., Timucua District of the Gulf Ridge Council of Boy Scouts of America and the Hillsborough County League of Women Voters. He has been a member of Stetson’s Board of Trustees since 1994 and of the College of Law Board of Overseers since 1986.

Today he continues to be an inspiration to Stetson’s law students, who recognized his commitment to legal education and the college by honoring him with the annual Judge Stringer Youth Day for area high school students. A 1974 Stetson University College of Law graduate, Stringer served in the U.S. Air Force for close to four years and attained the rank of captain. He is a graduate of New York University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1967.

 

2001

Gary A. Meadows '59

Gary Meadows earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1959 and began working as an admissions counselor the next day. He earned a master’s degree in counseling from Stetson five years later.

During his 30-year tenure in admissions, Meadows served as assistant director, director and dean. While in admissions, Meadows helped bring fine students to the university and counseled them when making education and career decisions. He saw some of those same students give back to Stetson and become re-involved in the university while working in Alumni Engagement.

In addition to his duties in the Admissions and Alumni offices, Meadows has been the voice of the Hatters at various times at the men’s basketball games for 35 years. Stetson also honored Meadows by naming its Alumni House the Meadows Alumni House on March 30, 2001. Mark Whittaker, vice president for University Relations, said that he, President Doug Lee and the Alumni Board wanted to name the house for Meadows because of his loyalty and dedication to Stetson over many years.

In retirement, Meadows hopes to spend more time enjoying some of his hobbies, which include singing, fishing and traveling. Over the years, he has lent his deep bass voice to the Stetson Choral Union and is on the board of directors of the Bel Canto singers. He also is a soloist in the choir at First Baptist Church of Deland and is president of the Deland Breakfast Rotary Club. Meadows has three grown children and lives in Debary with his wife, Gail Kadlec Meadows.

 

 2000

Dennis C. McNamara* '44

Dr. Dennis C. McNamara Sr., Class of 1944, received a Distinguished Service Award from Stetson University. McNamara served as chairman of the Operating Gifts Division of the successful Stetson University $50 Million Campaign and, through a major gift, established the McNamara Chair of Marketing in the School of Business Administration.

A member of the Stetson University Board of Trustees from 1984 until 1999, he served as both vice chair of the Board and as chairman of the Development Committee during the $200 Million Campaign, and was named Trustee Emeritus in 1999. McNamara and his family named a tennis court in the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center in memory of his late wife, Mary Estella Palmer McNamara, Class of 1944, and made a contribution to the new baseball stadium, Melching Field at Conrad Park. He has provided scholarship assistance to deserving students through the Dennis McNamara Scholarship Fund, which he created in 1985, and through the Trustee Challenge Gift Scholarship Program, in which he has participated since 1988.

The first recipient of an Honorary Diploma in 1982, McNamara received the Honorary Doctor of Commercial Science degree in 1986 and was a recipient of the University’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 1993. He was named a Champion of Higher Independent Education in Florida (CHIEF) in 1986 by the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida.

 
* Now Deceased