Homecoming is a time when Stetson University honors its own outstanding alumni and faculty. Stetson President Wendy B. Libby and Scott Bruin ’75, president of the Alumni Association, presented the 2015 awards of distinction to five alumni and one professor at the President’s Champagne Breakfast held Saturday morning, Nov. 14, on the Stetson Green.

2015 Distinguished Alumni Awards – Alethea R. Bonello ’98, Todd W. DuBosq ’01, Robert L. Moore, ’63

The Distinguished Alumni Award is presented each year to up to Stetson University alumni who through outstanding achievement in their lives and professions, have brought distinction and special recognition to Stetson University. 

Bonello graduated Stetson University in social science and earned her graduate degree in public administration from Georgia State University in 2006. She was a member of the 2008 inaugural class of Leadership Stetson. Bonello joined the NAACP national staff in 1998 following her graduation from Stetson and has served in many leadership positions in the Southeast Region. She is the recipient of many awards, including the Juanita Jackson Mitchell Award, Gloster B. Current Award, first place in Poetry at the National ACT-SO competition, and the Young Women in NAACP Award. She was bestowed with the Torch of Peace Award from Georgia 
State University in 2006 and was named one of 10 Outstanding Young People of Atlanta in 2006. In 2012, she received a commendation from the Georgia General Assembly for her work in civil rights. Currently as the Southeast Region field director of NAACP, Bonello is implementing multi-faceted advocacy campaigns on key issues, training and mobilizing units, members and stakeholders to advance the association’s strategic goals and objectives for the seven-state region, while also pursuing her doctoral degree at Oxford Graduate School, in social research and the integration of religion and society.

DuBosq graduated Stetson in physics and went on to earn his master’s and doctorate degrees in physics at the University of Central Florida. The research he presented in his dissertation on landmine detection in conflict and demilitarization zones demonstrates the potential application for eradicating these harmful devices, preventing further injuries and casualties. DuBosq is currently working at the U.S. Army Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate outside Washington, D.C. His research is used to provide American soldiers with the night-vision technology they need to carry out their missions. He has authored seven refereed journal publications and presented his research at 31 conferences, workshops and research forums internationally. He represents the U.S. Army on the topic of computational imaging and compressive sensing performance assessment for electro-optical and infrared systems for NATO. The NATO committee he currently leads is made up of representatives from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, Turkey and the United States. In 2014, DuBosq was chosen for a highly selective one-year assignment to represent the U.S. Army as an exchange scientist to the Fraunhofer IOSB in Germany. Since 2004, he has served on the Board of Directors of Kappa Hexaton Scholarship Foundation, Inc., the alumni organization for Stetson’s Phi Sigma Kappa chapter. He also volunteers at local Title I elementary schools teaching optics science lessons to help young students develop an appreciation for science.

Moore graduated Stetson in history. After serving in the U.S. Army and earning the rank of 1st Lieutenant, he went to law school and then was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1968, retiring in 2014. His awards include: South Venice Rotary Club Distinguished Community Service Award; Honorary Member of Rotary International; Sarasota County Bar Association Distinguished Community Service Award; Laurel Civic Association Man of the Year Award; Champion of Change, awarded by the White House in 2012 for work with UNICEF and the Kiwanis Iodine Deficiency Project; Pillar of the Community Award from City of Venice and many others. He headed up the Worldwide Service project with the Kiwanis International partnership with UNICEF to eliminate iodine deficiency disorders (IDD). The project has been called the most successful public/private partnership to virtually eliminate a known health problem; today, some 80 million children each year are born without the threat of IDD. Moore was recognized as a leader in this effort by both the Bush and Obama administrations and was publicly recognized at a United Nations General Assembly Special Session for having the vision for gaining U.S. Congressional support to help with the global IDD programs.

2015 Outstanding Young Alumni Award – Heather R. Grove ’11

This award recognizes the significant accomplishments of our newest graduates through their contributions to society, to a profession or to Stetson University.

As a student at Stetson with a double major in environmental science and geography, Grove studied Volusia County’s local food system and how institutions like Stetson might begin to procure more sustainable produce. She co-founded Stetson’s Hatter Harvest and Stetson’s monthly Farmers Market, which today is DeLand’s longest running urban farmers market. Based on the response to the Hatter Harvest Market, regular vendors founded the Artisan Alley weekly market in downtown DeLand. Vendors explain that the success of these markets has allowed them to move from hobby production into full-time farming, which also has stimulated local industry. After graduation, Grove became the marketing director for A Local Folkus, where she helped organize the Winter Park and Winter Garden harvest festivals as well as a local food summit. Currently she is co-creator and community manager at Orlando’s East End Market. East End Market focuses on the retail end of locally produced goods and food, helping vendors who have been eclipsed by giant retailer outlets. She coordinates classes on “foodpreneurship” (starting your own food business) and co-organizes Fleet Farming, a hyperlocal, pedal-powered approach to farming. Grove continues to live the community engagement lifestyle she adopted as a Bonner Scholar and volunteers with a local elementary school to grow a school garden. She sits on the steering committee of the Good Food Central Florida Policy Council and is a contributing member to IDEAS for Us, a global network dedicated to supporting student environmental activism.

2015 Distinguished Service Award -Kathleen Linehan Graf ’76 

The Distinguished Service Award is given in recognition of commitment to the ideals and objectives of the Alumni Association and dedicated service to the advancement of the university.

With a finance degree from Stetson, Graf has worked in the commercial banking industry for 30 years with a focus on credit risk and client relationship management. She has worked with a number of financial institutions over the years, primarily with Bank of America, formerly known as Barnett Bank. She has been certified by The Stonler Graduate School of Banking of the American Bankers Association and has worked in client management, credit underwriting, credit risk management and project management. Graf is a past board member of the Stetson University School of Business Administration Board of Advisors and the Stetson University Board of Trustees. She has served on the Stetson University Alumni Board of Directors for more than 10 years, including four years as president. Her service to these groups, and to Stetson as a whole, shows her deep personal commitment to her alma mater to ensure its success and that of its students.

2015 George and Mary Hood Award – Robert K. Sitler, Ph.D.

This award recognizes an individual’s commitment to and passion for Stetson and the contributions made to living and enriching its core values. It is given in honor of Dr. George Hood, former dean of students, professor and director of the Counseling Center, and his wife, the late Mary Turner Hood, longtime assistant to President and Chancellor J. Ollie Edmunds.

Sitler, professor and director of the Latin American studies program in the Department of World Languages and Cultures, joined Stetson in 1995. He chaired Stetson’s first Values Commitment Steering Team and is a tireless advocate for Stetson’s values of personal growth, global citizenship, intellectual development and social responsibility. With an undergraduate degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies and a master’s degree in Spanish from Kent State University, Sitler earned his Ph.D. in Hispanic literature from the University of Texas at Austin. He speaks four languages and is a member of the Latin American Studies Association, Southeastern Council on Latin American Studies, and Sigma Delta Pi national Spanish honorary. In 2001, he was awarded the prestigious McEniry Award for Excellence in Teaching, the highest honor that Stetson presents to a faculty member. Since then, he has also received summer grants, the Stetson Service Champion Award and the Hand Community Impact Award for his experiential teaching methods/techniques and for his social and community involvement.

Contributions by Nicole Melchionda