Alumni Association Honors Seven For Outstanding Contributions To UNH
By Kelly Calhoun, Alumni Association
July 9, 2008
The Alumni Association hosted an annual awards luncheon recently honoring
seven for outstanding contributions to the university and for other notable
accomplishments in their careers and in their communities.
Established in 1934, the Alumni Meritorious Service award is presented to
alumni who have demonstrated outstanding devotion, loyalty, and service to
their alma mater. They may be honored for their ongoing efforts to maintain
class or other UNH organizations; for their active participation in alumni
or university affairs; or for their efforts to expand the usefulness, influence,
and prestige of the university. There were three recipients of this year’s
award:
Peter Davis ‘60 of Venice, Fla., has demonstrated his support and enthusiasm
for his alma mater in many ways. Most recently, he served for two years as
president of the Florida South West Coast alumni chapter. He has agreed to
continue in this capacity for another year. Under his leadership, the chapter
has been busy with numerous functions and activities, attracting more and more
alumni to support the university and its related activities. From boat trips
to hockey and baseball team support to golf tournament sponsorships to a display
in the sports gallery--Davis has been the spark at the center of it all. He
has inspired others and helped to lead the way as an example of giving back
to his alma mater. His leadership, outreach, and enthusiasm for the university
have been an inspiration to many.
Jack Smith ’50 of Scarborough, Maine, has an impressive record of commitment
to his alma mater. For the past five years, he has served as president of the
College of Engineering and Physical Sciences Alumni Society. He has been a
long-time participant in homecoming and delights in meeting students and promoting
UNH among alumni as well as students. Along with his dedicated service to the
CEPS alumni society, Smith has served on the 1950s class reunion committee,
the Alumni Association’s general awards committee, and the UNH Foundation’s
President’s Council. He is a member of the UNH Elliot Society, the UNH
Heritage Society and the Wildcat Athletic Council. The list of his contributions
and volunteer efforts is endless—and so are his enthusiasm and support
for UNH.
Paul Bamford ’75 of Stratham, a Whittemore School of Business and Economics
graduate, credits the example of his parents as his inspiration for his years
of faithful service to UNH. Bamford has devoted countless volunteer hours to
the athletic and alumni communities. Here’s just one example: for seven
years, he has worked every single home basketball game, raising money through
his halftime raffle that has supported equipment purchases, athlete meals,
summer school tuition and recruiting expenses. He has even followed the team
out of state, cheering them on in many away games. As a Liberty Mutual employee,
Bamford has been instrumental in facilitating sponsorship funding for numerous
spaghetti dinners, scholarships, alumni receptions and more. Maybe the best
way to describe him is that he is always reaching out—to alumni young
and old, introducing people, connecting people, building bonds that help to
strengthen the basketball brotherhood and the UNH family. Is it any surprise
that he has become known as “the face of UNH basketball?” Bamford
has been an example of selfless service to the university.
Established in 1965, the Profile of Service Award is presented to alumni for
outstanding performance on behalf of the Alumni Association or UNH. This year
there were two recipients of this award:
Barbara Newall ’50 of New Castle, has been actively serving the Alumni
Association and the university since she graduated in 1950. Here is just a
partial list of the ways she has served: she was co-chair of the Centennial
Development Fund, helping to sell more than 1,800 tickets for the UNH Night
at the Pops. She was also chair of the UNH Fund committee. She has served on
the UNH Boston Club Board and chaired the Class of 1950 50th reunion Silver
Tea.
Newall has served on five class reunion committees. In 1970 she received the
university’s Meritorious Service Award. She was a member of the first
class of UNH marine docents and received the Silver Oyster award for the depth
of her commitment to developing programs on the history of the Isle of Shoals.
Most of all, Newall is known for her spirit and steadfast loyalty. Even in
her professional life, she has found ways to include and support the university—a
talent known as networking these days. For Newall, it’s just a talent
that comes naturally—it’s all about creating connections, bringing
people together, supporting her alma mater.
Known to thousands of alumni as a true friend and a consummate fundraiser,
Diana Koski of Lee, is a loyal, long-time member of the UNH family. Koski spent
more than three decades doing development work for the university, serving
in a number of capacities, first in the development office and later for the
UNH Foundation. Her tireless efforts, skills, and insight played a pivotal
role in the development of the foundation during its early years. Over time,
her steadfast commitment, institutional memory, and many connections were invaluable
assets as the foundation developed and grew.
Koski consistently maintained the highest of professional standards and exhibited
a sincere devotion to the university and to the goals of the foundation designed
to support it. Her example motivated colleagues and inspired alumni. The Alumni
Association takes great pride in recognizing Koski’s many contributions—her
professionalism, abiding loyalty, integrity, and grace through 32 years of
exemplary service.
The Young Alumnus/Alumna Achievement Award was established in 1990 by the
Class of 1953. The award recognizes a graduate less than 40 years of age who
is actively involved in promoting UNH alumni affairs and has demonstrated leadership
and promise.
Jefferson Hall ‘96, of Manchester, is a mechanical engineer with FCI/Burndy,
a man with global responsibilities and travel commitments. But in the midst
of these busy professional demands, for the past seven years, he has devoted
countless hours to serving as a mentor for the FIRST robotics team at Manchester
High School West in Manchester — better known as the Power Knights 501.
Hall has shared his teaching skills, his guidance, and his inspiration. He
has coached the team to victory. He has, in short, made science and engineering
cool. His example and enthusiasm have helped inspire 94 percent of Team 501
to go on to higher education--a substantial increase over the school’s
recent past averages. Of those college-bound students, 62 percent have chosen
engineering as their major—and nearly a quarter of them will attend Hall’s
alma mater: UNH. These numbers speak for themselves—a true measure of
the influence of this dedicated mentor whose example is, literally, changing
lives. Hall has carried the UNH commitment to public service into his own life,
serving as an example of the difference one person can make in the lives of
others.
Established in 2005, the Award of Excellence for Outstanding Achievement honors
a UNH graduate for significant accomplishments in business or professional
life or for public service to their community, state, or nation.
Ben Kilham ’74, of Lyme, has been featured in two National Geographic
TV specials, NBC Dateline, CBS Coast to Coast, New Hampshire Crossroads, Field
and Stream Magazine, the Boston Globe, and the award-winning UNH magazine.
Why all the attention? Kilham, who graduated with a wildlife degree, is nationally
known for his work with black bears. Dubbed “Mother Bear Man” by
National Geographic, Kilham has been raising and releasing orphaned bear cubs
back into the wild, studying them—and, in the process, revealing valuable
new insights into bear behavior.
"We know more about the lions, wildebeests, and elephants on the Serengeti
plains than we do about the bears that live in our back yards," says Kilham.
To begin his research, he read everything he could get his hands on, but except
for some population studies, there wasn’t much—and there was almost
nothing on bear behavior. Kilham’s work has changed that. He has now
raised about three-dozen orphaned cubs and successfully released them back
to the wild.
Along the way he has developed a remarkable relationship with his bears and
earned the respect of biologists. Heralded by the New York Times Book Review
as “compelling,” Kilham’s book, “Among the Bears” chronicles
his work and his life passion. His motivation for his work is simple: “I
hope that what I learn will help us understand and protect them,” he
says. Kilham’s devotion to his work has benefited people, as well as
bears—and served as an inspiring example of commitment to public service.
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