Alumni Honored at Huntington College

HUNTINGTON, IN OCTOBER 5, 1996 --- The Huntington College Alumni Association named its Alumnus of the Year and awarded three Distinguished Alumni Citations at a special luncheon ceremony at 1:00 p.m. today. The awards ceremony was a highlight of the college's Homecoming 1996 weekend.

Each fall, Huntington College recognizes one of its own for outstanding achievement during the past year. Today, Charles Curie was named Alumnus of the Year. The 1977 graduate of Huntington College resides in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He was recently appointed by Governor Tom Ridge to serve as Commissioner of Mental Health for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the state's highest ranking mental health officer.

Curie will present the College's next Forester Lecture on Monday, October 7, at 8:00 p.m. in the Merillat Centre for the Arts. He will address "Assumption of Responsibility and Other Essentials of Public Policy and Private Life."

The Alumni Association also presented its Distinguished Alumni Citations at the awards luncheon today. The Distinguished Alumni Citation is designed to recognize an alumnus for outstanding service or achievement over a period of time. The individuals who receive this award represent the ideals of Huntington College through their profession or through some other area of service. This year's honorees include:

• James C. Howald of Huntington, Indiana. Howald graduated from Huntington College in 1955 with a degree in physics and mathematics. After teaching at Salamonie Township High School and pursuing advanced studies, Howald joined the Huntington College faculty in 1961. He taught at Huntington until his retirement last year.
• Duane M. Ray, formerly of Lebanon, Pennsylvania. After graduating from Huntington College in 1949, Ray became a pastor, educator and missionary. He devoted himself to the service of others through literacy programs, prison ministry, and mentoring. Reverend Ray passed away in June.
• Roger and Mary Lou Birdsall, who were jointly named to receive the award. Over their long career together, the Birdsalls have ministered as pastor and teacher in Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. They have also served churches in Sierra Leone, India, Jamaica, Japan, and Ukraine. Now retired, the Birdsalls reside in Huntington, Indiana.

The theme of this year's homecoming celebration is "99 years and growing " Huntington College was founded in 1897 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. For nearly a century, Huntington College has offered high-quality academic programs "to equip men and women to impact our world for Christ." Located on a contemporary, wooded campus in Huntington, Indiana, the four-year liberal arts college offers graduate and undergraduate programs in nearly 50 academic concentrations