Outstanding alumni recognized for their years of service

The 1999 Outstanding Alumni Awards were presented to Donald Crossan, AG '50, and Alice M. Rhinehart, AS '42, during halftime of the Homecoming football game against Lehigh University. The awards, which are given annually in recognition of exemplary work on behalf of the University and the Alumni Association, were presented by Mary Jo Calvarese Chandler, CHEP '69, chairperson of the Alumni Association Awards Committee.

The former dean of the then-College of Agricultural Sciences from 1977-91 and professor emeritus of plant and soil sciences, Crossan holds master's and doctoral degrees from North Carolina State University. He established the Donald F. Crossan Scholarship Fund for agricultural students upon his retirement and was inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame in 1995. This year, he received the Liberty Bell Award from the Delaware State Bar Association for his longtime dedication to preserving Delaware's environment, farmland and open space, as chairperson of the Delaware Aglands Preservation Foundation since 1991 and as an adviser to the Coastal Zone Industrial Control Board. As a member of the Delaware Diamonds Society, he is serving on the Class of 1950 reunion committee and on the Alumni Association's travel committee.

Rhinehart received her degree in foreign languages and literatures and taught in Pennsville School District in New Jersey for several years. As a volunteer, she was twice awarded the Red Triangle Award for Outstanding Service from the Salem County YMCA and was named Volunteer of the Year by the United Way of Salem Country in 1996. She has been active on the board of the Alumni Association since 1984, serving on the fundraising and travel committees, and she was instrumental in creating the ACES (Alumni Career Employment Services) program. She also has served as an alumni delegate at Commencement.

The first alumni award was given in 1952, and, including the 1999 recipients, 80 alumni have been honored.