2003 Award Recipients

 

Lifetime Achievement

Wilbert G. Lundgren, M.D. '52 (Wilby) is one of our pioneer alumni, graduating from Penn State more than 50 years ago in 1952 with a B.S. degree from the College of Science in Premedicine. Prior to attending Penn State he served two years in the U.S. Navy. He graduated from Jefferson Medical School (Philadelphia) in 1956. He did his internship in Philadelphia, a three-year surgical residency at Dartmouth and a two-year surgical residency in York. But when it came time to open his own practice in 1962, he returned to his hometown of DuBois. In 1963, he became a board certified surgeon. During his career he served as chief of staff and chief of surgery for Maple Avenue Hospital (now DRMC East) before retiring from his practice in 1993. He is an active member of Trout Unlimited and Pennsylvania Wildlife Habitat. Three of his children followed in his footsteps and entered into medicine also returning to DuBois to set-up their practices.

Dr. Maurice G. Verbeke '49 '54 '66 is another pioneer alumni, graduating from Penn State in 1949 with a B.S. degree in Vocational Education and Science. Maurice went on to earn his M.Ed. in 1954 and his D.Ed. in 1966 both in Educational Administration from Penn State. His professional career began as a high school teacher in Western PA in 1947. In addition, he taught and was an administrator in the public schools of Dade County (Miami) FL for twelve years. He was a professor of Educational Administration at Glassboro State College (NJ) from 1967 until he retired as Professor Emeritus in June, 1987. In March of 1992, Maurice was awarded the “Distinguished Educator Award” by the New Jersey Council of Education. This prestigious award is given to Council members “who have made large and notable contributions to the field of New Jersey education.” Maurice has presented at various local, state and national conferences, has been published in numerous publications and has conducted research both in the U.S. and in England. In addition to his professional achievements at the College, he has held leadership roles at both the state and national levels, from an officer on the NJ Council of Education to the Danforth Foundation Fellowship in Educational Administration through the American Association of Schools Administrators.

 

Outstanding Alumnus

James C. Miller '68 (Jim) graduated from Penn State in 1968 with a degree in business administration. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant (U.S. Army) through the Penn State ROTC program and served two years as a field artillery officer, part of that time in Vietnam. He received an MBA from Penn State in June 1971 and graduated from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking in 1981. He has worked in banking for more than 30 years, beginning with Brookville Bank & Trust Co. which later became S&T Bank. Jim has served as CEO of the bank since 1998. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Jim is an active member of his community. He has served as both a member and chairman of various boards and committees throughout the year from the United Way to Catholic Charities. He is currently an active member of St. Bernard’s finance council and the Indiana County Development Corporation, chairman of the Indiana County Chamber of Commerce and the Indiana Healthcare Foundation, and a softball coach for the YMCA.

 

Outstanding Young Alumna

Diane Lucas-Spradling '00 graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration from the Commonwealth College in 2000. Diane is currently a lecturer of IST and Business Administration at Penn State DuBois. She completed her degree in four years while maintaining a full-time job in the IT Department on campus husband and family.  After graduation she was promoted to position where she has been responsible for developing strategic technology based solutions for various types of problems, including the creation of the student “help desk.” She has taught courses for the Continuing Education department and offers internships to students each year. Diane was the recipient of the 2003 Janette M. Burns Award for enhancing the climate for women on campus. She is an active member of the First United Methodist Church in DuBois where she volunteers her talents to help maintain the church’s webpage. She is also a member of Delta Mu Sigma honor society.

 

Distinguished Ambassador

Donald C. Georgino '48 (Don) is a 1948 graduate of Penn State with a B.A. in Commerce and Finance after serving in the U.S. Army from 1943-1946 in Europe. However, Don never had the privilege of attending classes on our campus (known at the time as the DuBois Undergraduate Center), but that has not stopped Don from being a longtime volunteer and advocate for the campus. While originally from Scalp Level in Cambria County, Don relocated to the DuBois area in 1951 when he took over as CEO of Patsy Georgino & Sons, Inc. after working from 1948-51 as a bank specialist for Burroughs Corporation. 

Don’s service to the campus and the community is truly stellar. He has served on numerous boards for anywhere from 3 years (e.g. DuBois Area Economic Development Corporation) to as many as 38 years on the board of the Maple Avenue Hospital and DRMC. He has been an active member of the DuBois Educational Foundation (the campus advisory board) for 31 years. His areas of interest and involvement include education, health, religion and business. He has also received other accolades such as the DuBois Area Jaycees Distinguished Service Award in 1987 and the Knight of St. Gregory the Great, awarded by Pope John Paul in 1996. The campus and the community owe a great deal to Don for all his time and dedication over the years.