BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana University Alumni Association will honor four individuals this month for their service to, and volunteer leadership of, the association.
During Cream and Crimson Weekend, June 8 to 10, the four alumni volunteers will receive the IUAA President’s Award, established in 1993, to acknowledge their service to the organization. The President’s Awards – the highest award given by the alumni association to volunteer leaders – will be presented at a banquet at 7 p.m. June 9 at Alumni Hall.
The 2017 recipients of the IUAA President’s Award are:
- Despina Amanatidis Liaskos, MBA’08
- Kay F. Lindsey, BS’70, MS’74
- Robert E. Stoll
- Brian P. Williams, BA’78, JD’81
Despina Amanatidis Liaskos
A high school teacher in Valparaiso, Indiana, Liaskos earned an MBA while attending the IU Northwest campus in Gary. She devotes a significant amount of time and effort to the IU Northwest Alumni Association, heading the group’s scholarship program for students.
“She is cheerfully and skillfully involved in most, if not all, alumni activities that support and promote IU Northwest,” said Nancy Hamblin, BS’78, MS82, chairwoman of the IU Northwest Chancellor;s Advisory Committee and a former IUAA national chair, who nominated Liaskos for the award. “Despina is a model for future leaders in this area.”
Liaskos is a member of the IU Northwest alumni board, having served as president from 2009 to 2013. She also serves on other campus boards and committees.
Kay F. Lindsey
Lindsey, a retired educator from Jeffersonville, Indiana, is a co-founder and charter member of the New Albany, Indiana/Louisville, Kentucky, (Kentuckiana) Chapter of the Neal-Marshall Alumni Club. As charter secretary and now treasurer, she has helped the chapter launch a series of engagement programs that have enhanced the interests of the Neal-Marshall Alumni Club and the IU Alumni Association. Under her leadership, the Kentuckiana Chapter’s annual Evening to Remember recognition dinner has raised more than $7,000 for student scholarships.
“Kay has a servant’s heart,” said Clarence Boone Jr., BA’81, MPA’84, IUAA associate director of alumni communities, who nominated Lindsey for the President’s Award. “She is the ‘behind-the-scenes’ catalyst that ensures the success of many programs and initiatives.”
Robert E. Stoll
For 32 years, Stoll, of Bloomington, Indiana, directed the Singing Hoosiers, teaching a multitude of students from all backgrounds and advocating membership in the IU Alumni Association.
“Without exception, he always concludes his remarks by suggesting to those in attendance to spread the word,” said former Singing Hoosier John D. Stevenson, BS’68, who supported Stoll for the President’s Award. “As he says, ‘A great graduation gift is a membership in the IU Alumni Association.’”
Among his many honors, Stoll has received the Leather Medal Award for outstanding service to the IU community, the Singing Hoosiers Distinguished Alumni Award and a Sagamore of the Wabash, Indiana’s highest civilian honor. He led the Singing Hoosiers from 1963 to 1995, when the group performed with symphony orchestras and on recordings. He established a tradition of having all Singing Hoosiers alumni join current members on stage at the annual spring concert to sing “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
Brian P. Williams
Co-managing partner for the Kahn Dees Donovan & Kahn law firm in Evansville, Indiana, Williams is a former president and board member of the Evansville Bar Association. He was one of 15 attorneys in the state named a Distinguished Barrister by Indiana Lawyer.
A longtime volunteer leader for the IU community, he was a member of the Maurer School of Law alumni board from 2003 to 2011, including a term as president. He has also served on the IU Alumni Association’s Board of Managers. In his local community, Williams has served as president of the Boy Scouts of America Central Region, president and regional vice president for the Boy Scouts Buffalo Trace Council, secretary and legal counsel for the Evansville Industrial Foundation, and president of the Legal Aid Society.
The IU Alumni Association is dedicated to serving the university and its diverse alumni, students and friends. As one of the nation’s largest alumni organizations, serving more than 660,000 graduates worldwide, the IUAA provides many programs and services to its members, nonmember alumni and the university. For more information, call 800-824-3044.
