Founders' Day Leadership ConvocationA Celebration of Education and LeadershipFebruary 9, 2005 at 7 PM, Music Building Concert HallThe Sesquicentennial Founders' Day Leadership Convocation embraced our past by honoring our distinguished alumni. In honor of the College's 150th anniversary, the Alumni Association's Leadership Convocation was the highlight of this milestone event. Keynote speaker Eleanor Horne, former TCNJ Trustee and Vice President & Corporate Secretary of ETS, helped celebrate the success of the School of Education as Founders' Day became TCNJ's newest annual tradition. The awards were:
The Distinguished Service AwardFirst given in 1998, this award recognizes an alum who has provided exceptional service to the College, his/her class, the Alumni Association, and/or the College's students. Leonard J. TharneyThe recipient of the 2005 Distinguished Service Award was Leonard J. Tharney, an educator of epic distinction, consultant, and retired army colonel whose service to his alma mater and country has spanned over 50 years. A member of the class of 1954, Professor Tharney enlisted as a private in the military in 1947 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1951. He began his teaching career at the Lanning and Anthel laboratory schools but returned to then Trenton State College in 1963 to join the education faculty. Paralleling his academic duties at the College, he continued to serve in the Army National Guard and was a leading evaluator for the American Council on Education on the award of academic credit for military service. Tharney chaired the Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education from 1988 to 1992. Teaching in the areas of science education and curriculum, he was one of the founding faculty members of the College's International Studies Program (now the Graduate Global Programs). As an undergraduate, he was active in the Apgar Society, named in honor of Austin C. Apgar, a prominent science professor in the early days of the College. The society aimed to foster connections between faculty and students in the field of science education. A measure of his care for students over his long career was succinctly captured in the accompanying citation of the senior class yearbook dedicated to him in 1966: "His desire for the advancement of education is evident when we see him advising the Student Education Association; when we remember him guiding and counseling French students during a summer program; and the many times we see him putting the students and the school before himself." Tharney has been recognized in editions of Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Education , Who's Who in the World, the Dictionary of International Biography and The International Directory of Distinguished Leadership. He is also a recipient of the United States Presidential Citation in appreciation of his long career in the military. The Humanitarian AwardThe newest of the three, first given in 2001, this award recognizes an alum who has shown exceptional public spirit or concern for human welfare through philanthropic activities. Nancy Cashel FahertyNancy Cashel Faherty, class of 1989, was this year's recipient of the 2005 Humanitarian Award. She is a human services activist, public relations expert, and community advocate for youth sports and recreation An English major, Nancy began her career as a part-time sportswriter and photographer at The Trentonian before moving into public relations with the Babe Ruth League, Inc., in Lawrenceville. Her humanitarian efforts began when she served as the executive vice president of the Mercer Council on Alcoholism and Drug Addiction, and as director of development for Our Lady of Sorrows Church parish in Mercerville, where she conceptualized the 25th anniversary celebration of the Anchor House Ride for Runaways, a charity bike ride to benefit the Trenton-based shelter for runaway and abused children. Nancy also served as marketing director for Roma Bank in Hamilton, where she consulted with small area businesses and developed Roma's First Home Club "Paving the Way" Task Force, a group whose mission was to work with faith-based agencies to mentor qualified first-time homebuyers through a federal grant process that enabled them to earn money toward a down payment. Nancy is past president of Angel's Wings, Inc ., a volunteer, faith-based non-profit organization founded by members of the parish community of Our Lady of Sorrows Church and now based at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton. Angel's Wings works in conjunction with the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) to provide emergency care for abused and neglected children while advocating for their needs and developing foster families. She also proposed and developed the Angel's Wings "Substance Abuse Intervention Project," which received a major four-year grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in October of 2000. The Substance Abuse Intervention Project is another volunteer-centered collaborative effort between Angel's Wings, St. Francis Medical Center, Catholic Charities and DYFS. A 1979 graduate of Notre Dame High School , she has earned continuing education credits from Rutgers University by twice completing the New Jersey Summer School of Alcohol and Drug Studies and she has pursued master's level credits in human services administration from Montclair State University. Nancy holds a professional certification from the Public Relations Society of America. She is also a member of the Mercer County Commission on the Status of Women and was inducted into the Notre Dame High School Hall of Fame in 2001. Nancy resides in Ewing Township, NJ, with her husband, Robert ("Flip"), also a TCNJ alumnus and current commissioner of the Babe Ruth League, and two children. The Alumni Citation AwardConferred continuously since 1940, the Alumni Citation Award is the premier award given by the Alumni Association. It is granted to a living alum who:
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