Extension School Awards Prizes to Students, Faculty

The Extension School is awarding a number of prizes to students and faculty, as follows:

Dean's Prize for Outstanding A.L.M. Thesis

Awarded this year for the first time, the Dean's Prize recognizes the thesis that embodies the highest level of imaginative scholarship. The recipient from the class of 1996 is Gail McCracken Price, concentrator in dramatic arts.

Price holds a B.S. in nursing from Florida State University, and an M.S. in nursing and a Ph.D. in psychology from Boston University. A clinical psychologist in private practice, she is also an accomplished playwright. Her play Twain was produced off-Broadway at the Nada Theater this past fall.

Price's A.L.M. thesis, on "The Origins of the Sublime in The Tragedy of King Lear," was directed by William Alfred, Abbott Lawrence Lowell Professor of the Humanities Emeritus. In assessing the work, he writes: "Gail Price's essay on King Lear is the most solidly adventurous investigation of a play by Shakespeare that I have ever read. Not only does she think and rethink the action through as she makes her incontrovertible points, she also says something that needs saying in an irrefutable way. . . . To my mind, this essay is far better than any doctoral study I have ever guided. I wish we could honor it in a way worthy of its deep intelligence and scholarly honor. Summa cum laude in the fullest sense of the phrase."

Santo J. Aurelio Prize

Santo Joseph Aurelio, ALB '83, ALM '85, received his first two degrees at the Harvard Extension School after age 50, and went on to earn a doctorate and enter a new profession -- college teaching -- after a career of more than 35 years as an official court reporter for the Massachusetts Superior Court. The prize recognizes academic achievement and character for undergraduate degree recipients more than 50 years of age. This year's recipient is Kathleen Greenan, ALB '96. Greenan, who is 74 years young, was born in Ireland in 1922. She began her educational career at Quincy Junior College in 1972 where she completed 12 credits. She then enrolled in her first course, Intermediate Irish, at the Harvard Extension School in the fall of 1978. She has been taking courses faithfully ever since -- earning her bachelor's degree 18 years later. Greenan has concentrated her studies in creative writing.

Derek Bok Public Service Prize

Two Extension School graduates -- Margaret Moores Benson, ALB '96, and Talbert Earl Lauter, CSS '96, -- will receive the distinguished Derek Bok Public Service Prizes at the Extension School's Diploma and Certificate Presentation Ceremonies on Commencement Day. These prizes, in honor of the commitment of former President Derek Bok to adult continuing education and to effective advocacy of community service activities, are awarded annually to degree and certificate recipients at the Harvard Extension School, who, while pursuing academic studies and professional careers, also give generously of their time and skill to improve the quality of life for others in the larger community. The prizes were established by generous gifts from the Harvard Extension Alumni Association.

Benson's interest in naval history and education led her to volunteer at the U.S.S. Constitution Museum where she has been a trustee since 1987 and chairman of the board of overseers since 1993. Her principal efforts are on behalf of the Museum's mission -- "to explore the spirit and ideals of the emerging nation."

Lauter has a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from the University of Florida at Gainesville, and a master of science in engineering management from Northeastern University. He was awarded the prize based on his extensive volunteer work with the Boy Scouts of America, the South Shore Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club, and South Shore Hospital.

Annamae and Allan R. Crite Prize

Established by the Harvard Extension School and the Harvard Extension Alumni Association in honor of Annamae Crite, who for more than a half-century faithfully attended Extension courses, and her son, Allan R. Crite, A.B. in Extension Studies '68, who is widely recognized as the dean of African-American artists in the Greater Boston area, these prizes are awarded to Extension School degree recipients who demonstrate "singular dedication to learning and the arts."

This year the first Crite Prize goes to an A.L.M. class marshal, Enrique Calixto. His thesis director, David Gordon Mitten, James C. Loeb Professor of Classical Art and Archaeology, said of his essay: "Mr. Calixto's thesis, on the suppression of the homosexual content of two of Plato's dialogues, the Symposium and the Phaedrus, in translations from the mid-eighteenth through the end of the nineteenth centuries, is a brilliant essay, massively documented and rigorously argued . . . [and] is a major contribution to the social history of the period. Beautifully written as well, this essay is one of the most outstanding . . . theses that I have yet read. I very much hope that Mr. Calixto will publish this distinguished work."

The second Crite prize goes to Scottland Arthur Hubbard, ALB '96, cum laude. Hubbard spent five years ski racing in France and Colorado and another five years living on the Cape and working in sales. He realized he didn't want to work in sales all his life so he started taking courses at the Harvard Extension School to earn his undergraduate degree. Hubbard has been accepted to a master's/doctorate program at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. He graduates with a 3.91 cumulative grade point average in humanities.

Reginald H. Phelps Prize

The Reginald H. Phelps Prize Fund was established by Edgar Grossman, A.B. in Extension Studies '66, founder and first president of the Extension Alumni Association and the first Extension representative to the Associated Harvard Alumni, for prizes for Extension baccalaureate degree recipients. The prizes are in honor of Dr. Reginald H. Phelps '30, AM '33, PhD '47, director of University Extension at Harvard from 1949 to 1975, and are awarded annually on the basis of "academic achievement and character" to outstanding graduating students receiving bachelor's degrees in Extension Studies.

The first-prize recipient is Susan Bell, ALB '96, cum laude. After a successful career in advertising and television, Susan Bell came to Harvard Extension to pursue a lifelong interest in Middle Eastern history. Thanks to the support and encouragement of her professors, she is currently writing her first book -- a biography of the controversial British general Orde Wingate -- and looking forward to a new career as a writer and historian. She is graduating at the top of her class with a 3.94 grade point average in Middle Eastern studies.

The second Phelps prize goes to Patrick Michael Thompson, ALB '96, cum laude. A former M.I.T. student, Thompson worked as a special projects supervisor in the technical department of a Boston TV station. In 1990 he started taking classes that interested him at Harvard Extension. Soon he had accumulated quite a few units, and started to choose classes with an eye toward earning a degree. Last year, the station he worked for substantially changed its business direction, and his job became less fulfilling, so he set to the task of completing the A.L.B. in one year as a full-time student. Thompson is graduating with a 3.84 cumulative grade point average in computer science.

After working as a professional musician for many years, Chester Swanson III, ALB '96, cum laude, decided to return to academia. During his years of study at Harvard, Swanson was appointed Brook Farm Archaeological Laboratory supervisor in 1994 by Robert Preucel, professor of anthropology at Harvard. Swanson began what would become a two-year independent study project under Preucel. The finished paper, entitled "Harvesting the Utopian Crop: An Archaeological Report on the Use and Destruction of the Brook Farm Hive Building," will be published as part of the annual report submitted to the National Park Service, the Massachusetts Historical Commission, and to the Metropolitan District Commission. Swanson is graduating with a 3.82 cumulative grade point average in anthropology and archaeology.

Thomas Small Prize

Thomas Small was born in Lithuania, came to the United States in 1900 and earned a bachelor of business administration degree from Boston University in 1918. He retired from business in 1965 and that year enrolled in Harvard Extension. In 1983, at age 89, he received his master of liberal arts degree, thereby becoming the oldest earned degree recipient in the history of Harvard University. The Thomas Small Prize was established by his family and friends to honor this singular achievement by awarding prizes in his name. These prizes are awarded annually on the basis of "academic achievement and character" to two outstanding Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies degree recipients. Tied for the Thomas Small Prize are John M. Heavey and Lara J.K. Wilson, both concentrators in English and American literature and language, and both having the highest grade point average in the class with a 3.97. An English teacher at Tabor Academy, John Heavey received his B.A. degree in English from Johns Hopkins University in 1975. His A.L.M. thesis is entitled "Absent Fathers, Sexualized Mothers, and Betraying Friends: An Exploration of Hamlet Echoes in James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man." Jonah Siegel, assistant professor of English and American literature who directed the thesis, said of John's work: "John Heavy has written a smart, useful, and original master's thesis on a topic of real importance. [He wrote] . . . a sophisticated piece that offered a rich reading of the themes of Portrait by looking at them through the prism of Hamlet."

Lara Wilson, a published fiction writer, has an A.A.S. degree from New York's Fashion Institute of Technology and a B.A. degree from SUNY-Plattsburgh. Her various interests are interestingly united in her A.L.M. thesis, entitled "Fashionable Appearances: Self, Socialization, and Sartorial Symbolism in Henry James's The Golden Bowl." Her thesis director, Barbara Johnson, professor of English and comparative literature, wrote: "Lara Wilson has . . . integrated her vast reading seamlessly and illuminatingly into her analysis of Henry James's The Golden Bowl. This is a very polished, intelligent piece of work."

The Katie Y.F. Yang Prize

Julio Eberle, a graduate of the Certificate of Special Studies in Administration and Management (C.S.S.) at the Harvard Extension School, has been awarded the Katie Y.F. Yang Prize. Named for a 1990 graduate of the C.S.S. program, this prize is awarded annually to the international graduate with the most outstanding academic record. Eberle earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil. He took a one-year academic leave of absence from his position as the industrial director of his family's manufacturing business to complete the C.S.S. program.

Extension School Faculty Awards for 1995

The Carmen S. Bonanno Award

Established in 1990 by the family and friends of Carmen S. Bonanno, who studied a foreign language in the Harvard Extension School more than sixty years ago, this award recognizes excellence in foreign language instruction. The Bonanno winner this year is Mary G. Berg. Berg is a lecturer on history and literature at Harvard. Her enthusiasm for her courses, Spanish: Reading for Information and Spanish: Reading and Translation, and her compassion for her students have earned her a perfect rating of five on a five-point scale. One of her students wrote: "This course was a painless, wonderful way to be introduced to a language. Dr. Berg is a credit to the Extension School and her profession, and a gift and a treasure to us, her students."

James E. Conway Excellence in Teaching Writing Award

Established in 1991 by James E. Conway, ALB '85, currently director of Development Computing Service at Harvard, this award recognizes excellence in the teaching of writing in the Harvard Extension School. The award this year recognizes the teaching of Sanford Kaye, a preceptor in the Communications Program at the Kennedy School of Government. He has helped Extension students find their own voices since 1978, when he began teaching courses like Exposition and Experience: Lifelong Writing. In one nomination, a student wrote, "The knowledge I gained from Mr. Kaye's class will help me in every area of writing, while the confidence I developed will help me in every area of life."

Joanne Fussa Distinguished Teaching Award

The JoAnne Fussa Distinguished Teaching Award, established by JoAnne Fussa, CSS '85, "recognizes exceptional teachers in the C.S.S. program." This year's recipient is David Kuechle, professor of education emeritus.

Kuechle taught his popular course, Managing Negotiations, in the Extension School's C.S.S. program in 1993 and 1995. A sampling of comments taken from student evaluations highlight the extraordinary impact this master teacher has had on his students: "I looked forward to each class and to the drama Professor Kuechle was able to impart while dealing with sensitive business, cultural, and personal issues"; "Dr. Kuechle has a magical way of listening and absorbing the class in the movement of discussion"; "Professor Kuechle gives the best feedback I have ever received"; "Of the eight courses I have taken in the C.S.S. program, this is by far the most effective, timely, and organized."

A lawyer, Kuechle received his J.D. from the University of Wisconsin in 1954. He received his M.B.A. and D.B.A. degrees from the Harvard Business School in 1961 and 1965, respectively, after which he joined the Harvard Business School Faculty before joining the faculty of the Graduate School of Education in 1978.

Petra T. Shattuck Excellence in Teaching Award

Established by the Harvard Extension School in memory of Petra T. Shattuck, a distinguished and dedicated teacher in the program, who died of a cerebral hemorrhage in the spring of 1988, these prizes are awarded annually to honor outstanding teaching in the Extension program. This year, the three recipients are Ellsworth A.L. Fersch, Charles Hallisey, and Ted Tsomides.

Ellsworth Fersch, a lecturer on psychology at the Harvard Medical School, has taught in the Division of Continuing Education for 18 years. His courses -- Law and Psychology, Crime and Justice, and Law and Ethics: Making the Moral Decision -- have served as gateways for many students who were beginning their studies. One of them wrote: "Crime and Justice was my first course in 30 years and my confidence level was pretty low, but Dr. Fersch made re-entry a wonderful experience for me. I am now planning on earning a master's degree in psychology."

Charles Hallisey is an assistant professor of Buddhist studies at Harvard. His courses, Comparative Religious Ethics, Introduction to Buddhism, and Introduction to Hinduism have inspired many students to nominate him for this award. In one nomination, a student wrote, "Professor Hallisey is funny, challenging, approachable, kind, and inspiring -- a teaching style I wish all professors would emulate."

Ted Tsomides, assistant senior tutor at Dudley House, has taught math courses at the Extension School for the last 11 years. In nominating Tsomides, one student in his Accelerated Precalculus class wrote: "Mr. Tsomides is a very entertaining math teacher. For once, not an oxymoron." Another commented, "Ted is able to communicate the subtleties of mathematics to all of his students, motivating them to grasp the workings of algebra and trigonometry and put these skills into practice."

The Exemplary Service Award

Arthur N. Turner, professor of business administration emeritus, is being presented with the Exemplary Service Award, a recognition for extraordinary service to the Harvard Extension School's Certificate of Special Studies in Administration and Management Program (C.S.S.). A distinguished member of the Harvard Business School faculty from 1959 until his retirement in 1984, Turner has been a mainstay of this program. His participation began in 1983, when he joined the C.S.S. Advisory Council, a committee of senior academics and business managers who provided guidance, pro bono, in areas of program development. Turner was a conscientious member of this group until 1989, when the Advisory Council's mandate expired.

He again served the program in 1992, this time as an instructor of Organizational Behavior, which he continues to teach. His course has been so popular among students that it consistently exceeds its enrollment limits. It is also one of the C.S.S. program's most highly rated courses. "Professor Turner has the unique ability to draw out discussion, stimulate independent thinking, and otherwise enhance the learning process," one student commented on a student evaluation. Another wrote, "This was the best course I have ever taken; congratulations to Harvard Extension School for having him."