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May 13 Commencement honors 449 degree candidates
May 13, 2003 | |||||
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KOKOMO, Ind.—Indiana University Kokomo and the Purdue University School of Technology at Kokomo saluted 449 graduates May 13, during their combined Commencement exercises on the Kokomo campus. Indiana University listed 408 candidates for degrees, and Purdue had 41 candidates. Degree candidates included those who completed coursework in December 2002, and those completing their studies in May, June, and August 2003. Interim President of Indiana University Gerald Bepko presided over the ceremony, and IU Kokomo Chancellor Ruth Person and Tom Capozzoli, interim director of the Purdue University School of Technology at Kokomo, congratulated the new alumni as they crossed the platform and received their diplomas. “You have reached a milestone in your lives,” Bepko said to the graduates. “The reputation of Indiana University depends on your continued commitment to the values, knowledge and skills that you have learned here.” Bepko presented an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters to IU Kokomo’s “founding father” Virgil Hunt. In 1945, Hunt personally recruited the campus’ first students and faculty, and he served as director from 1945–1956. Hunt went on to become the first Registrar of the IU Medical Center in Indianapolis, and retired from the university in 1976. “Your unwavering dedication, leadership and generosity have set an inspiring example for others to follow,” Bepko said to Hunt. Longtime Western School Corporation teacher and administrator Donna Walden of Russiaville received the IU Kokomo Alumni Association (IUKAA) Distinguished Alumni Award during the ceremonies. Graduating in 1970, Walden belonged to the first IU Kokomo class to earn bachelor’s degrees in education, and also received her master’s in education at Kokomo in 1975. IUKAA President Elizabeth Douglass praised Walden, saying, “She always worked closely with students and their parents and remained dedicated to the school system and the community that it served.” Guests invited to join the platform party included administrators and deans, the Indiana University Trustees, the IU Kokomo Board of Advisors, Purdue Alumni Association representative Michael Staublin and representatives of the graduating class, Tiniya Martin and Corey Swart, both of Kokomo. Speaking on behalf of the class of 2003, Swart thanked friends, families and university faculty and staff for helping the graduates “through a remarkable transition in our lives.”
“It is hard to put into words how much I appreciate what my parents have done for me,” Swart said. “My goals would have been so much harder to accomplish if I had not had their support.”
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