Fourteen Hood Student-Athletes Receive Awards at Annual Honors Convocation
FREDERICK, Md.--Fourteen Hood College student-athletes from 11 different sports were recognized for their outstanding academic achievements Tuesday at the annual spring convocation at Hood's Coffman Chapel.
Lauren Shaak, a sophomore from Fayetteville, Pa., and member of the track and field team, was one of eight recipients of the Beta Beta Beta Award, presented to a high-ranking student in Biology 100-200 level courses, upon the recommendation of the biology department.
Will Lane, a junior from Walkersville, Md., and goalkeeper for the soccer and lacrosse teams, was presented with the Sidney Silverman Award, named in honor of the late Associate Professor Emeritus Sidney Silverman. This prize is awarded to an outstanding student majoring in biology. Professor Silverman taught at Hood from 1974 to 1985 and did research at Fort Detrick and NIH. His colleagues in the department established this award in his honor.
Alison Schuetz, a freshman from Hazelton, Pa., and member of the softball team, won the Chemistry Achievement Award. This honor is presented by the CRC Press, Inc., to the highest-ranking first-year student in Chemistry 101-102 during the current academic year.
Jon Butterfield, a senior from Walkersville, Md., and member of the soccer team, won the Department of Chemistry and Physics Faculty Award, a book prize presented by the department faculty annually to an outstanding senior major.
Naseem Zietoon, a senior from Germantown, Md., and member of the soccer and track and field teams, was presented with the Computer Science Faculty prize, awarded to a student selected by the department faculty to recognize excellence.
Laura Saad, a senior from Wilmington, Del., and member of the tennis team, was the winner of the Class of 1961 Memorial Award, presented to an outstanding education major. The award is made possible thanks to contributions from members of the Class of 1961 in memory of their deceased classmates.
Scott Thompson, a senior from Las Vegas, Nev., and member of the lacrosse team, won two awards at the convocation. He was presented with the Emily Myers Davis Prize and was the third-place winner of the Janice E. Cole Writing Prize. The first prize is awarded to a student or students for excellence in English courses. This prize was established by T. Crawley Davis in memory of his wife, Emily Myers Davis, Class of 1943. His second award was established in 1992 by Hood’s humanities faculty, is awarded to a student or students who submit in the annual prize competition the most outstanding essay originally written for a course in the humanities. The prize was introduced in 1992 as the Center for the Humanities Prize. It was renamed in spring 1997 in honor of the late Dr. Janice E. Cole, professor of English at Hood for 31 years from 1965 to 1996.
Carter Reitman, a senior from Frederick, Md., and member of the tennis team, was the first-place winner of the Janice E. Cole Writing Prize (detailed above) and was also awarded the Margaret P. Ford Honor Scholarship. The Ford Scholarship was established in honor of the late Professor Emerita Margaret P. Ford, who taught English at Hood from 1964 to 1987 and served as chair of the department for many years. She taught numerous courses in American literature and was a student of the life and writings of William Faulkner. This scholarship was established by Hood’s Board of Trustees to honor Professor Ford.
Stephen McNamara, a sophomore from Bayside, N.Y., and member of the cross country and track and field teams, was one of three winners of the Charlotte A. Moran Prize, awarded to a student of the French language who shows outstanding achievement in intermediate French and who plans to pursue additional studies in French. This prize honors the memory of Charlotte A. Moran, associate professor emerita of French, and Hood alumna, Class of 1957. Professor Moran taught at Hood from 1966 to 1989; she died in 2000.
Maria Smith, a senior from Frederick and member of the field hockey team, was the recipient of two awards. Smith won the Florence A. Pastore Memorial Award and the Virginia E. Lewis Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Political Science. The Pastore Award was established in 1994 by Col. Joseph A. Pastore (Ret.), former vice president for administration and finance and treasurer of Hood College, to honor the memory of his wife, Florence. This prize is awarded to a student studying abroad in France, or to an outstanding junior or senior majoring in French. Florence Pastore enjoyed her many connections to France and to French culture. She died in 1989; Col. Pastore died in 1997. The Lewis Prize, established in 2010 by the Department of Political Science, is awarded to a student majoring in political science. The prize is named in honor of the late Virginia E. Lewis, emerita professor of political science, who taught at Hood College from 1947 until 1981. Dr. Lewis died in 1985.
Three student-athletes were among the recipients of the Dr. H.P. and P. Laughlin Award, established in 1991 by Dr. Henry P. Laughlin H’03, an emeritus member of the Hood College Board of Associates, and M. Page Laughlin H’03, is presented to a student who has made outstanding contributions to the College. Preference is given to a senior, although members of other classes in exceptional circumstances may receive special consideration. The student-athletes receiving this award were senior Doug Raftery, a native of Brick, N.J., and member of the soccer team; senior Brenden Straughn, a native of New Carrollton, Md., and member of the basketball team; and senior Kati Vu, a senior from Baltimore, Md., and member of the lacrosse team.
Jacob Ausherman, a native of Laurel, Md., and member of the soccer team, was presented with the Mary Ann Keirns Humanitarian Award. This award, established in 2009, is presented to a student who best personifies the characteristics and contributions of Mary Ann Kerins, director and staff counselor of the Hood College Counseling Center until her death in December 2008. Ms. Kerins was known for her passion and commitment to helping students and others on their path to wellness. Her quiet and gentle leadership, coupled with her advocacy for human rights, equality and democracy for all individuals, has left a positive impact on the Hood College community. Compassion, empathy, fairness, honesty and respect for oneself and others are among the many positive qualities that she possessed.
