News Release
April 2002
(Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) - Alumni returning to Moravian
College for reunion and celebration will enjoy an exciting schedule
of events and entertainment planned for Friday, May 31 and Saturday,
June 1.
Alumni weekend will begin with a tour of the Main Street
Campus, at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, May 31. Following the tour, participants
may venture to Payne Gallery at the Church Street Campus for "Overseas
with Dr. Rudy Ackerman," a presentation of slides and stories.
A Welcome Back barbecue dinner will be served under tent at the Church
Street Campus from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m., and later a tour will be conducted
through the Church Street campus.
Saturday, June 1 will start off with a continental breakfast
buffet and the 50+ Club breakfast and induction ceremony, both in the
Haupert Union Building (HUB) from 9:00 to 10:15 a.m. These will be followed
by a full day of activities, including campus tours, the Alumni Association
Annual Meeting, a reunion parade, a reunion luncheon, a mini-course
on "Resourcing the Library in Today's Electronic Age: A Hands on
Tutorial," and the Young Alumni Committee meeting.
In recognition of his service to Moravian College, the
Alumni Association will honor Reverend J. Michael Dowd with its 2002
Medallion of Merit following the Reunion Luncheon on June 1, 2002.
A graduate of both the college and the seminary, Dowd
could be heard over Steel Field for 30 years as the official announcer
at home football games. Dowd has served on the Alumni Weekend Planning
Committee, generating ideas to bring alumni back to campus, and helping
to organize the Moravian College Alumni Choir to the delight of many
reunion classes who enjoyed their music during the gala celebration
dinner.
Dowd has served as a class agent for Moravian's development
office from 1995 to 1997, a task force member of the Commission on the
Future, and the General Alumni Campaign Chair.
He has hosted freshmen for the Alumni Association's Take
a Freshmen to Dinner Program and acted as table hosts at the Freshmen
Orientation Dinner. Dowd was a member of the Business and Industry Committee
for 3 years, a participant in the Employers Forum in 1998, and an Antiques
Show sponsor for several years. His other Moravian volunteer activities
have included acting as a mentor for student interns, serving as a Homecoming
volunteer, and participating in the Business Etiquette Dinner. The Alumni
Association recognized him with its Unsung Hero Award in 1999.
"The dedication and energy Mike devotes to the Moravian
community is even more impressive when considering his extensive involvement
in the Easton community and the Lehigh Valley at large," said Bertie
Knisely, director of alumni relations at Moravian. "Aside from
his current occupation as Chief Operating Officer of the Children's
Home in Easton, he is President of Northampton County Council, Secretary/Treasurer
of the Easton Economic Development Corporation, and Dale Carnegie trainer
for the Leadership Institute of the Lehigh Valley," she said.
Dowd received the Jack Cook Excellence in Economic Development
Award in 2000, recognizing his significant contributions to the economic
vitality of the city of Easton. He was recognized for his role in setting
up the Two Rivers Council of Government, an intergovernmental organization
founded in 1991 to address wastewater treatment. He was also a leader
in the Lehigh-Northampton County transportation projects including the
local construction of Interstate 78 and the routes 33 and 22 connection
project.
Finally, the weekend will conclude with a reception, class
dinner, and dancing in the HUB from 6:00 to 11:30 p.m.
Moravian College is a private, coeducational, selective
liberal arts college located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Tracing its
founding to 1742, it is recognized as America's sixth-oldest college.
Visit the Web site at www.moravian.edu.
