2024 Distinguished Alumni Class (L-R): Dennis Dagounis CC’01, Shannon Riehl CC’92, Dr. Gary Pavlis CC’73, GSNB’85, M. Donald Richman CC’80 and William Bailey CC’94.
By Amanda Dougherty CC’08, GSED’09 CCAA Co-president
On April 28, the day after Ag Field Day at Rutgers Day, alumni again gathered on the George H. Cook campus, this time to honor some of their own. The Cook Community Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Awards have been awarded for almost 50 years. Starting in 1976, the George H. Cook Distinguished Alumni Award has been presented annually to an alumnus, or alumni, whose outstanding accomplishments in professional or volunteer work reflects dignity and distinction on their Alma Mater, and is the highest honor presented by the Cook Community Alumni Association (CCAA) to undergraduate alumni. In 2003, the Dennis M. Fenton Distinguished Graduate Alumni Award was established in honor of Dennis Fenton GSNB’77, a strong supporter of graduate education at SEBS (formerly Cook College) and is awarded to alumni who have made a demonstrated and significant impact in their field of study.
The introductions and speeches of the awardees tied together the underlying thread of community. You could hear the influence the Cook campus community had on helping to determine majors and careers, like how Shannon Riehl CC’92 discovered Journalism and Mass Media from her roommate and changed her major. We heard how William (Bill) Bailey CC’94 has, for the past 29 years, helped our student athletes be academically successful. This idea of community and giving back extends to their current communities. M. Donald Richman CC’80 served on his local board of education for 18 years and has worked to help preserve farmland within his township of Mannington. Dennis Dagounis CC’01 accomplished so much for his former school district that he was recognized as the Union County Teacher of the Year in 2021 and is currently implementing STEM seminars and a climate change symposium as a vice principal in Berkeley Heights.
Dr. Gary Pavlis CC’73, GSNB’85, our Fenton Award winner, has made a huge impact on our state’s wine industry. As an agricultural agent with the N.J. Agricultural Experiment Station, he has helped expand New Jersey’s wineries from 7 in 1984 to over 60 in 2022. He is also a blueberry expert, and his newsletter, The Blueberry Bulletin, has an international following.
Our newest distinguished alumni were welcomed by former honorees, including Awards Committee co-chairs, Linda Madison CC’80, GSED’94, ‘02, and former Dean of Academic Programs, Lee Schneider CAES’70, GSNB’72, GSED’88. Over the years, the committee has grown this event to exemplify our sense of community, inviting back former honorees and current student leaders. Bill Bailey, former Helyar House resident, sat with current Helyar students at the luncheon.
To read about our awardees please see our event program from the day. If you would like to nominate an alumnus(a) for either award, please use the nomination form or send an email to ghcawards@gmail.com. Nominations are accepted on a rolling basis.
Standing (L-R): Donald Heilman CC’76, GSED’07, ‘12, Dennis Dagounis CC’01, Heather O’Rourke CC’94, GSED’18, Shannon Riehl CC’92, Dr. Gary Pavlis CC’73, GSNB’85, M. Donald Richman CC’80, Lee Schneider CAES’70, GSNB’72, GSED’88, William Bailey CC’94, Danny Klein CC’88; Sitting (L-R): Bethany Roque-Romaine CC’83, Joan DeBoer CC’84, Dr. Paul Wichansky CC’93, GSNB’99, ‘08, Linda Madison CC’80, GSED’94, ‘02, John Jengo CC‘80, and John Little CC’80.
