Graduating seniors LInda (Ellie) Halfacre and Micah Petersen have been named the 2017 recipients of the Emalea Pusey Warner and Alexander J. Taylor
Sr. Outstanding Senior Awards from the University of Delaware Alumni Association (UDAA), the most prestigious student awards at UD.
Halfacre and Petersen, both students in the College of Arts and Sciences, will be recognized on Saturday, June 3, during Alumni Weekend, at the UDAA Awards Ceremony, to be held at 5 p.m. in Gore
Recital Hall of the Roselle Center for the Arts. The event will also recognize the winners of this year's Outstanding Alumni Awards and Alumni Wall of Fame Awards.
The Emalea Pusey Warner and Alexander J. Taylor Sr. Awards annually
honor an outstanding woman and man, respectively, of the senior class.
Recipients must demonstrate leadership, academic success and community
service. Students must also have a cumulative index of 3.0 or better at
the end of the first semester of their senior year.
Emalea Pusey Warner Award recipient Linda (Ellie) Halfacre will be
graduating with a bachelors degree in international relations and
public policy. An Honors student, Halfacre is a Eugene du Pont
Distinguished Memorial Scholar, funded by the Unidel Foundation.
While on campus, she was a victim advocate who offered immediate,
confidential crisis assistance to survivors of sexual assault and
implemented a domestic violence public awareness poster campaign. She
was an active student senator with the Student Government Association
and the founder and president of the Red, White and Blue Hens group,
which planned and executed local voter engagement initiatives.
The recipient of the Alexander J. Taylor Sr. Award, Micah Petersen
will earn double undergraduate degrees in Chinese studies and
international relations and a concurrent masters degree in geography.
Petersen will study in Beijings Tsinghua University, one of Chinas
premier institutions, beginning in August as a Schwarzman Scholar.
He is an Honors student, Eugene du Pont Distinguished Memorial
Scholar, funded by the Unidel Foundation, and the recipient of several
prestigious scholarships and grants. As a student, he was actively
involved with Army ROTC and will commission as an infantry officer in
the U.S. Army following graduation this May. Petersen is the founder and
CEO of Reviresco Inc., a 501c3 organization that exists to educate and
empower society to engage with veterans by going beyond saying thank
you for your service.
UDAA Outstanding Alumni Awards
The Outstanding Alumni Awards are presented annually to an alumnus
and alumna in recognition of their exemplary work on behalf of the
University of Delaware and/or the UDAA. This year, the University honors
Alan L. Brayman and Darelle Lake Riabov.
Alan Brayman received a bachelors degree in business administration
from UD in 1973 and went on to earn his masters degree in business
administration from Shippensburg University. After a term as a member of
the UD Alumni Association Board of Directors, Brayman became the UDAAs
27th president. He remains engaged with UD as a member of the Lerner
College Alumni Association. He and his wife, Joann, also volunteered
with the UD Parent and Family Leadership Council while their children
attended UD.
Darelle Lake Riabov earned a bachelors degree in home economics
education from UD in 1973. The quintessential UD cheerleader, Riabov has
always made time to give back to her alma mater. She served as the 28th
president of the UD Alumni Association and remains involved as a member
of the nominating committee. She currently serves as a VAST team member
and Hen Hatch judge and is the vice chair of the College of Arts and
Sciences Deans Advisory Council.
UDAA Alumni Wall of Fame Awards
The Alumni Wall of Fame Award recognize outstanding professional and
public service achievements by UD graduates. This year, the UDAA honors
Ann Massey Badmus, Richard J. Gannon, Elizabeth Anthony Mattey and Paul
M. McConnell.
Ann Massey Badmus received a bachelors degree in mechanical
engineering from UD in 1984 and went on to earn her law degree in 1989
from Widener University School of Law. She is currently a partner in the
Immigration Law Section of Scheef and Stone LLP. Badmus is a nationally
recognized immigration lawyer and a sought-after speaker on immigration
law. She has published numerous articles, hosted a television program,
been interviewed on the national and local radio and written a book on
immigration for physicians.
Richard J. Gannon earned a bachelors degree in criminal justice from
UD in 1987. As a student, Gannon was the first football player in UD
history to set 21 school records. After graduation, Gannon entered the
1987 NFL draft and was selected by the New England Patriots. He achieved
his greatest successes with the Oakland Raiders, including an
appearance in Super Bowl XXXVII. When Gannon retired from football, he
joined CBS as an NFL analyst. In addition to his CBS duties, Gannon is a
highly-regarded sports analyst and co-host of The Sirius Blitz on Sirius XM NFL Radio.
Elizabeth Anthony Mattey received a bachelors degree in nursing in
1977 and her masters in nursing in 1994 from UD. Mattey is the lead
school nurse in the Brandywine School District, having worked as a
school nurse for 30 years. She is the president of the National
Association of School Nurses, which serves almost 17,000 school nurses
around the country. She is also currently a member of the Professional
Advisory Board for the Epilepsy Foundation in Delaware and a past
president of the Delaware School Nurse Association.
Paul M. McConnell received his bachelors degree in political science
from UD in 1974. He is the founder of McConnell Development Inc.,
McConnell Johnson Real Estate and 1313 Innovation. McConnell has
developed office, residential, commercial and industrial properties,
totaling over 5 million square feet in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey
and Pennsylvania. 1313 Innovation was the first community-based mobile
tech innovation center, a collaborative environment for professionals
and students. In 2015, 1313 Innovation hosted more than 100 events,
including the Tech2Gether conference, the anchor event of the first
Delaware Innovation Week, highlighting local entrepreneurs, start-up
companies and showcasing emerging technologies.
Article by Nadine Sabater; photo by Kathy F. Atkinson
