The Marshall University Alumni Association (MUAA) announced today its list of 2017 major award winners, who will be recognized at the 80th annual Marshall University Alumni Awards Banquet. The banquet will take place at 7 p.m Saturday, April 22, in the Don Morris Room on the university’s Huntington campus.
“Recognizing the accomplishments of our alumni each year during our annual awards banquet is a tremendous honor and tradition we treasure,” said Matt Hayes, executive director of alumni relations. “This year, our 80th, is no exception. Our awardees throughout the past eight decades are exceptional alumni and ambassadors of our alma mater. We look forward to recognizing our newest honorees.”
Highlighting the list of more than a dozen honorees is Jeffrey Porter, founder and owner of Porter & Associates CPA, who has been named recipient of the Marshall University Distinguished Alumni Award, MUAA’s highest honor. Other award recipients include Red Dawson, recipient of the Distinguished Service to Marshall Award; Brandy Barkey Sweeney and George Smailes, recipients of the Outstanding Community Achievement Award; Griffin McElroy, recipient of the Young Alumni Award;, and a number of additional honorees including MUAA Club of the Year, scholarship awards and awards from many of Marshall University’s colleges.
Porter, a 1977 graduate of Marshall University, has been active in the American Institute for CPAs for over 27 years and is currently serving on the board of directors and its Governing Council, as secretary of the AICPA Political Action Committee and chair of the Tax Reform Task Force. He was previously chair of the Tax Executive Committee. He was the 2016 recipient of the Arthur J. Dixon Memorial Award, the highest honor bestowed by the accounting profession in the area of taxation.
Porter currently resides in Huntington, where he has presided over Porter & Associates CPA for more than 30 years.
Other major award winners include Red Dawson, Brandy Barkey Sweeney, George Smailes and Griffin McElroy.
Dawson will receive the Distinguished Service to Marshall Award. Following a successful football career as an All-American tight end and defensive end for Florida State and a brief stint in the NFL with the Boston Patriots, Dawson was brought to Marshall University to serve as receivers coach. On November 14, 1970, Dawson famously missed the Southern Airways Flight that claimed 75 members of the Thundering Herd football team while on a recruiting trip. He later served as assistant coach alongside Jack Lengyel, helping rebuild the Marshall University football program. He was portrayed by Matthew Fox in the Warner Bros. adaptation of the story in the motion picture, “We Are Marshall.”
Sweeney and Smailes will receive the Community Achievement Award. Sweeney is an educator and marketing professional from Point Pleasant, West Virginia, with decades of experience in giving back to her community. She has served as the county coordinator for the Mason County Toys for Kids Association for more than 30 years and has devoted her life to giving back to her community. Smailes, from Huntington, recently retired as executive director at the Huntington YMCA and has spent his 49-year career serving the people of Huntington while building a great community organization.
McElroy, recipient of the Young Alumni Award, was chosen for his work as founding editor of Polygon, Vox’s video game website, as well as for his weekly podcasts, which have received over 3.5 million views on YouTube. McElroy was also recently named to Forbes magazine’s 30 Under 30 list for media. The 29-year-old currently resides in Austin, Texas.
Other awards being handed out during Alumni Weekend 2017 include the Carolyn B. Hunter Faculty Service Award, Cam Henderson Scholarship Award, Nancy Pelphrey/Herd Village Scholarship Award, Nate Ruffin Award, MUAA Club of the Year and various Awards of Distinction presented by each of Marshall University’s colleges.
The Marshall University Alumni Awards Banquet is part of the larger Alumni Weekend, celebrating all things Marshall University. The two-day gathering will include a number of activities for alumni of all ages and offers a unique opportunity to reminisce with fellow Marshall alums while witnessing first-hand the growth and future plans of Marshall University.
Marshall University Alumni Weekend will kick off on Friday, April 21, with a dinner theatre in the Francis-Booth Experimental Theatre inside the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center. Dinner will be served at 6 p.m. followed by Marshall Theatre’s production of “Guys & Dolls.”
Alumni Weekend will continue Saturday, April 22, with a Class Breakfast honoring the 50-year reunion of the Class of 1967, the 25-year reunion of the Class of 1992 and those who graduated prior to 1966 as members of the Grand Class. Breakfast and a special presentation will begin at 9 a.m. in John Marshall Room inside the Memorial Student Center.
Also on Saturday, April 22, alums will have an opportunity to participate in the Fountain Ceremony on the Memorial Student Center Plaza at noon, followed by the Thundering Herd Green and White Spring football game at 3 p.m.
The weekend will conclude with the 80th annual Alumni Awards Banquet honoring distinguished alumni and friends on Saturday beginning at 7 p.m. in the Don Morris Room.
Tickets to Marshall University’s annual Alumni Weekend are available online at www.HerdAlum.com or by calling 304-696-3134. For more information, visit the MUAA website at www.HerdAlum.com or e-mail alumni@marshall.edu.