Each year, thousands of West Virginia University alumni carry on the Mountaineer spirit while also giving back to their communities.
As part of the 2010 Homecoming celebration, the WVU Alumni Association will honor six alumni for their outstanding service and commitment to their alma mater. The awards will be presented during the halftime celebration of the WVU-Syracuse game on Oct. 23.
The 2010 alumni chapter and service award recipients are: Laura and Lee McCrory of Raleigh, N.C.; and John Antonik, Casey Quinlan, Scott Rotruck, and Dr. Carolyn Zinn, all of Morgantown.
John Antonik
John Antonik, a two-time graduate of WVU (‘90 BS, ‘92 MS), is the recipient of the Paul B. “Buck” Martin Award which is presented to an individual who has helped to preserve and maintain WVU traditions.
Antonik most recently authored two popular books about WVU athletics: “West Virginia University Football Vault: The History of the Mountaineers” and “Roll Out the Carpet: 101 Seasons of West Virginia University Basketball.“
Antonik is director of new media for the WVU Sports Communications Office where he is responsible for coordinating West Virginia University’s official athletic website MSNsportsNET.com, in addition to mobile.msnsportsnet.com, MountaineerAthleticClub.com, WVUGame.com, WVUVarsityClub.com and ShopWVU.com for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. He also oversees the department’s social media program through Twitter and Facebook.
Antonik joined the WVU athletic staff in 1991 where he served as associate sports information director where he was responsible for coordinating the publicity efforts of West Virginia University’s 19 varsity sports as well as working with the Mountaineer football and basketball programs. In addition to his publicity duties, John also directed WVU’s community relations program.
In 1999, Antonik, a past member of CoSIDA, the West Virginia Sports Writers and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers associations, assumed his current role as director of new media in charge of promoting West Virginia University’s 17 intercollegiate sports through the World Wide Web. He is responsible for all facets of the department’s Web services program, including editorial oversight, content development and site design.
The New Martinsville, W.Va., native received “The Lifetime Achievement Award” from Magnolia High School in August, 2008.
Lee & Laura McCrory
The WVU Alumni Association is pleased to recognize Lee and Laura McCrory as the recipients of the John F. Nicholas Jr. Award for their outstanding contributions/service to the RTP Chapter in Raleigh, N.C.
Lee, a native of White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., attended WVU from 1965-1967 where he was a member of the Mountaineer Marching Band, at that time, an all-male band. He later moved to North Carolina where he worked for the North Carolina Department of Transportation until his retirement in 1998. His grandfather, Harry McCrory, was head coach of the WVU football team in 1895 when they were known as the “Snakes.” Laura Kreger McCrory, a native of Saltville, Va., became part of the Mountaineer family after marrying Lee in 1969.
In 1996, the couple helped to create the RTP Chapter for alumni and friends in the Raleigh, N.C., area. For nearly 15 years, Lee and Laura have remained actively involved in the chapter. Lee served as vice president and currently serves on the chapter’s board of directors. He also coordinates the chapter’s community service projects – Adopt-A-Highway and local food bank donations. Laura has served as treasurer, secretary and board member. In addition to assisting Lee with community service activities, Laura keeps Mountaineers involved by writing a weekly e-mail for alumni and friends and coordinating membership activities. Lee and Laura have one son and live in Raleigh.
Casey Quinlan
Casey Quinlan (‘02 BS, ‘06 MS), a native of St. Albans, W.Va., will be honored as the Margaret Buchanan Cole Young Alumni Award, which recognizes young alumni who have provided extraordinary service to the University and to the WVU Alumni Association.
During his time at WVU, Quinlan was active in Mountain Honorary and the Student Government Association. He also served as the first executive director of Mountaineer Maniacs. Today, he remains active in the life of his alma mater, serving his second term as president of the University Chapter of the WVU Alumni Association. In fall 2010 he will serve as chair of the newly created WVU Alumni Association Young Alumni Board.
Quinlan is the director of the Mountaineer Line at the WVU Foundation where he is responsible for 40 student callers who reach out to alumni and friends through a phone campaign, which raises more than $1 million for WVU annually. In this position, he also meets with alumni and friends in West Virginia and assists them with their participation in The University Fund. He and his wife Stacey live in Morgantown with their 15-month-old son, Camden, a future Mountaineer.
Scott Rotruck
Scott Rotruck is the recipient of the James R. McCartney Community Service Award which is given to a Mountaineer who has provided outstanding citizenship and service to his or her community.
Rotruck received a bachelor’s degree from WVU in 1977 and an MBA from Frostburg State University in 1986. He currently serves as VP of Corporate Development and State Government Relations for Chesapeake Energy Corporation. He previously served as director of economic development for WVU and is past chairman and president of the Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce.
Rotruck is a committed volunteer to his alma mater where he has served on the WVU Extension Service Visiting Committee, taught classes in entrepreneurship and served on the Advisory Committee of WVU’s Technology Transfer Office.
In addition to his service to WVU, Rotruck is an active member of the local community and state, where he volunteers his time and expertise to a number of boards and organizations, including serving as a member of the University of Charleston’s Board of Trustees; the American Lung Association Board of Directors; executive committee member of The Power of 32, a 32 county regional economic development initiative in Southwestern Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, North Central WV, Eastern Ohio and Western Maryland; and chair of the West Virginia Tourism Commission and Vision Share Inc., to name a few.
Rotruck has been recognized as a Distinguished West Virginian and received the 2006 WV Vision Award. He and his wife Carol, also a WVU alumna, are the proud parents of three WVU graduates/students.
Dr. Carolyn Zinn
Dr. Caroyln Zinn is the ultimate public servant, a dedicated and tireless giver of time and self – the true embodiment of the spirit of West Virginia and WVU. In recognition of her service, she will be honored with the David W. Jacobs Lifetime Service Award.
Dr. Zinn is a three-time graduate of WVU where she earned a bachelor’s degree in political science; a master’s degree in political science; and a doctorate of political science in 1967. She served as associate professor of political science at Elon College, visiting professor of political science at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and associate professor of political science at Penn State-Fayette.
In 1970, she was named director of the West Virginia Department of Archives and History, before leaving to chair the department of political science at Arkansas State University where she served nine years before being appointed academic dean and professor of political science at Shepherd College. She returned to WVU in 1984, serving in a series of academic jobs, including interim assistant dean of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, assistant and then associate director of Admission Services and coordinator of the WVU Scholars Program, until her retirement from the University in 1996.
A devoted member of the WVU community, Zinn remains active at the University by serving on the Committee of Retired Faculty Governing Board, as well as on the WVU Alumni Emeritus Club Board of Directors. In 2010, she was inducted into the Order of Vandalia, the University’s highest honor. She also serves the larger community through organizations including the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army.
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CONTACT: Tara Curtis, WVU Alumni Association,
304-293-0972, tecurtis@mail.wvu.edu
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