Alumni Awards 2009
Three Lander graduates chosen for annual Alumni Association awards
The Lander University Alumni Association has selected three alumni as this year's recipients of the association's highest alumni awards.
YOUNG ALUMNA OF THE YEAR
Recognizes alumni who have graduated from Lander within the last 15 years and who have served their communities in exemplary ways.
Kellie Marie O’Connell, ’99.
Dr . Kellie O’Connell, Alexandria, Va., is a nutrition expert, and her job is persuading Americans to make food choices that benefit their health. O’Connell graduated from Lander with a biology degree and received a doctorate in nutrition from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is a nutritionist with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, which is responsible for the MyPyramid Food Guidance System, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and other national programs. She has done extensive research on improving the eating habits of schoolchildren to prevent obesity and helped produce a South Carolina Educational Television series on nutrition and physical activity. O’Connell is the secretary of the university’s Young Alumni Council.
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR
Presented for achieving distinction in one’s chosen field and for participation in civic, cultural, education or church activities.
Cary Carder Corbitt, ’74.
Cary Corbitt is a recognized leader in building the reputation of Hilton Head, S.C., as a golf destination and boosting the popularity of the sport elsewhere, including at Lander. Corbitt, who attended Lander on a golf scholarship, heads the Sports and Retail Division at Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head and has been instrumental in referring students to Lander’s golf program, which was reintroduced in 2005. He is a Class A PGA professional; vice president of the S.C. Chapter of the National Golf Course Owners Association and president of the Low Country Chapter; and co-founder of the Hilton Head Island Golf Professionals Association and its Junior Golf Association. He has won many honors, including Professional of the Year, Carolina PGA Section. Corbitt and his wife, Wendy, have one child.
GRACE ILER NORMAN AWARD
Recognizes significant alumni achievement within the Alumni Association and Lander.
Eleanor Shiflet Teal, ’93.
Eleanor Teal has been associated with Lander since 1983 when she began working in Student Affairs. Three years later, she accepted a position in the Office of University Advancement and while working full time she resumed her college studies and completed requirements for a bachelor’s degree. In 1997, she was appointed vice president for University Advancement, a position she held until her retirement in June 2008. During that time, the Office of Alumni Affairs reported to her and for 22 years, she has been active in the affairs of Lander’s Alumni Office and Alumni Association, nurturing relationships, promoting alumni activities and increasing the percentage of alumni giving. Her legacy also includes having expanded Lander’s scholarship program and leading the most successful capital campaign in Lander’s history. She is married to T. Dixon Teal. They have two children and six grandchildren.
Nominations Sought
Nominations are being taken for Distinguished Alumni, Young Alumni of the Year
and Grace Iler Norman awards.
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Nominees for the Distinguished Alumni Award must have participated in civic, cultural, educational and/or church activities. They should have gained distinction in their chosen field.
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Young Alumni of the Year Award nominees must have graduated within the past 15 years (since 1990). They must have manifested special interest in Lander and their communities.
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The Grace Iler Norman Award recognizes significant achievement within the Alumni Association and Lander.
Please send nominations by Dec. 1 to: Office of Alumni Affairs, CPO Box 6004, Lander
University, Greenwood, SC 29649 or e-mail
sgrogan@lander.edu. Include nominee's name, maiden name if
applicable, year of graduation and reason for nomination.
