Alumni Awards

Alumni Awards celebrate members of the Lees-McRae Alumni Association who have demonstrated extraordinary achievement, civic engagement, and a commitment to the college's values. Award recipients will be honored at Homecoming each year.

Nominations will be accepted from Lees-McRae alumni, faculty, staff, and community partners. Self-nominations are welcome, but submitters must include two letters of recommendation.

Submit Nomination

Alumni Service Award

The Alumni Service Award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated extraordinary commitment, leadership, and service to the advancement of Lees-McRae College.

Nominees must:

Be an alumnus/a of Lees-McRae College.
Provide significant service to Lees-McRae College and/or the Lees-McRae Alumni Association.
Demonstrate a continuing interest in Lees-McRae by attending alumni events on and off campus and by contributing time, energy, or money to programs of the institution.
Manifest and commend the hallmarks of the Lees-McRae graduate in his/her life.

Distinguished Alumni Award

The Distinguished Alumni Award honors a graduate whose outstanding professional accomplishments, personal achievements, or community impact reflect great honor on Lees-McRae College. This individual exemplifies the values of the college and serves as an inspiration to fellow alumni and current students

Nominees must:

Be an alumnus/a of Lees-McRae College
Demonstrate a respectable profession or life mission for which the college is exceptionally proud.
Distinguish himself or herself in business, life work or worthy endeavor.
Manifest and commend the hallmarks of the Lees-McRae graduate in his/her life.

Young Alumni Award

The Young Alumni Award celebrates an exceptional Lees-McRae alumnus/a who has graduated in the past 15 years.

Nominees must:

Be an alumnus/a of Lees-McRae College.
Have graduated from Lees-McRae College within the last 15 years.
Demonstrate outstanding promise in a professional career.
Have a commitment to volunteering, civic leadership, or charitable involvement in their community and/or the college.
Have been active within the college post-graduation through mentoring, events, or recruitment.
Bring honor to Lees-McRae through personal character and reflect the college's values.

Year	Recipient
1970	Mr. Dick Ellis ’48
1971	Mr. Don Baker ’57
1971	Mr. Warren Jefferies ’39
1972	Ms. Martha Guy ’40
1972	Gen. George S. Boylan Jr. ’39
1973	Mr. Auburn E. Andrews ’35
1973	Mr. H. Jack Faw ’35
1974	Mr. J. C. Roudebush ’62
1975	Mrs. Lucile Gragg Beaman ’52
1975	Ms. Charlotte Kubota ’47
1976	Ms. Pat White ’54
1976	Mr. Fred I. Dickerson ’31
1976	Mr. Lantz Sykes ’47
1977	Lt. Col. Paul Callahan ’40
1977	Mrs. Jane Ormand Fairfax ’56
1977	Mr. Sam Vickery ’39
1978	Dr. Donald G. Hayes ’56
1979	Mr. Howard Abernethy ’40
1979	Mrs. Eloise Eagle Abernethy ’40
1980	Mrs. Jackie Hefner Brown ’42
1980	Ms. Lou Efird ’54
1981	Mrs. Gwen Groome Masters ’49
1981	Mr. Bill Cochran ’54
1981	Mr. Elbert L. Peters Jr. ’50
1982	Mr. Don Masters ’49
1983	Mr. Paul McEwen ’36
1984	Dr. Larry Hopkins ’70
1985	Mrs. Roma Burleson Melton ’48
1985	Mr. Gary Stacy ’60
1985	Dr. L. O. Rupe ’35
1985	Dr. Ivan Stafford ’34
1986	Mr. Dick Weaver ’57
1987	Mrs. Ethel Boyd Beam ’39
1987	Dr. Hugh Lee McKinney ’39
1987	Lt. Col. Asa "Pat" Adair ’41
1988	Mr. Charles B. VonCannon Sr. ’35
1988	Mr. Thomas Ferebee ’40
1989	Mrs. Edith Colvard Crutcher ’42
1989	Dr. Denny Wolfe ’63
1990	Mrs. Marie Bach Hogan ’48
1990	Mr. John McConnell ’40 (Given Posthumously)
1991	Mr. John Cates ’82
1992	Dr. Jake Bradsher ’39
1993	Dr. Jack Robinson ’49
1994	No Award Given
1995	Mr. Billy R. Loflin ’47
1996	Mrs. June Minton Smith ’55
1997	No Award Given
1998	Mrs. Pat Smith Tilley ’55
1999	Coach Fred I. Dickerson ’31
2000	Mrs. Jane Baucom Stephenson ’57
2001	Mr. Carl Edward "Ed" Hipps ’55
2002	Ms. Martha McAfee ’86/’03
2003	Mr. Creighton W. Pendarvis ’56
2003	Mrs. Helen Jones Brown ’56
2004	Mrs. Barbara Sides Rice ’55
2005	Mr. Alvin E. Dresser ’40
2005	Mrs. Carol Lowe Timblin ’60
2006	Mr. Thomas Lane Hurley ’64
2007	No Award Given
2008	Mr. Leslie John Broussard ’90
2009	Capt. Kenneth D. Sullivan ’59
2010	Mrs. Kimberly Garrison Palmisano ’83
2011	Mr. Fred Street ’52
2011	Mrs. Johnnie Grant Street ’53
2012	Mr. Rick Owen ’00
2013	Mr. Robert Mark Mauldin ’76
2014	Martha Stone Penny ’59
2015	Mr. David Charles Vance ’61
2016	Mr. Steve Tatum ’74
2017	Mr. Ed Shelton ’60
2018	Arch Hoxton ’64
2019	Amy Beane ’96
2020	Julia McCombs ’76
2021	No Award Given
2022	Mr. James Mahan ’59
2023	Mr. Jesse Pope ’02
2024	Ms. Katie Campbell ’05
2025	Mr. Geoff Hurdle ’91

Year	Recipient
1992	Mrs. Doris Ramsey Caldwell ’40
1993	Mr. Fred "Satch" Lyle ’49
1993	Mrs. Martha "Mot' Jones Lyle ’49
1994	Mr. John W. McNeely Jr. ’49
1994	Mrs. Martha Harper McNeely ’48
1995	Dr. Max Garland Rieves ’49
1996	No Award Given
1997	No Award Given
1998	Mr. Don E. Masters ’49
1998	Mrs. Gwen Groome Masters ’49
1999	Mr. Fred I. "Coach" Dickerson ’31
2000	Mr. Sam Vickery ’39
2001	Mrs. June Minton Smith ’55
2002	Mrs. Becky Campbell Lakey ’58
2002	Mrs. Lucile Gragg Beaman ’52
2002	Mrs. Jane Ormand Fairfax ’56
2003	Mr. Wendell Boggs ’57
2003	Mrs. Tana Boggs ’57H
2004	Mrs. Ethel Boyd Beam ’39
2005	Mr. Bob Seals ’40
2005	Mrs. Jean Aven Seals ’41
2006	Mr. Robert Clemmer ’65
2007	No Award Given
2008	Ms. Martha McAfee ’86/’03
2009	Mr. Roy Krege ’81H
2009	Mrs. Marion Krege ’81H
2010	Ms. Catherine Day Button ’89
2011	Ms. Karol Ogburn Laws ’50
2011	Ms. Jean Ogburn Neal ’52
2012	Ms. Lynn Swisher Neese ’90
2013	Mrs. Karen Gobble Meade ’86
2014	Ms. Gail Miller ’72
2015	Mr. Tommy Byerly ’66
2016	Mr. James Berry ’69
2017	Ms. Talia Freeman ’07
2018	Mr. Gary T. Moss, Jr. ’99
2019	Ms. Frankie Needham ’55H
2020	Ms. Deena Powell Chambers ’75
2020	Mr. Justin Kitts ’07
2021	No Award Given
2022	Mr. James Berry ’69
2023	Ms. Talia Freeman ’07
2024	Mr. Parker Grubbs ’95
2025	Mr. David Burke ’72

Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients

Alumni Service Award Recipients

Young Alumni Award Recipients