Vol. 17, No. 33	May 28, 1998

Six alumni inducted into UD Wall of Fame

Richard S. Mroz (top left), alumnni association president,
stands with with five of the six alumni recently inducted into the
University of Delaware Alumni Association Wall of Fame.
Also pictured (clockwise from top row, center) are
Edward J. Bennett of Dover, Robert V.A. Harra Jr. of Wilmington,
William C. Allen of Washington, D.C., Jane Watson Mitchell
of Delaware City and Paula Lance Gavin of New York City.

William C. Allen is architectural historian for the Architect of the Capitol. He graduated from the College of Arts and Science with a dual degree in history and art history in 1972. Allen formerly held the position of chief architectural historian and chief of restoration and development at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. He also has written numerous professional publications, including In the Greatest Solemn Dignity: The Capitol's Four Cornerstones, on the architectural history of the capitols of the United States, Mississippi, Georgia and elsewhere.

Allen has received numerous awards including the Architect of the Capitol's Public Service Recognition Award and the Arlene Custer Award, presented at the Mid-Atlantic Archives Conference in 1993 for his work, The Dome of the United States Capitol: An Architectural History. In 1996, he was recognized with the University of Delaware's Medal of Distinction for "distinguished professional accomplishment and public service."

Edward J. Bennett is a 1959 graduate of College of Business and Economics with a bachelor's degree in business administration. He is president of the Bennett Security Service and served as a member of the Delaware House of Representatives from 1976-1994.

While a representative, Bennett served as chairman of the Joint Finance Committee, the House Education Committee and was a member of the Governor's Task Force on Education and Children at Risk. In 1994, Gov. Thomas R. Carper appointed him chairperson of the Delaware Health Care Commission of the Delaware General Assembly.

In addition to his tenure as a representative, Bennett's community service also includes serving on the University of Delaware Board of Trustees and membership with the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Trustees of Wesley College. He also is a commissioner of the Delaware River and Bay Authority.

Paula Lance Gavin is president and chief executive officer of the YMCA of Greater New York, the largest YMCA in the country. She graduated from UD in 1967 with a degree in Spanish and education from the College of Arts and Science.

Prior to working at the YMCA, Gavin was an executive at AT&T for 22 years. She has shown leadership and dedication to her community through her professional commitment at the YMCA, partnering with many organizations to increase programs for youth. Since 1990, the YMCA has more than doubled its service to youth.

Gavin has served on the New York Stock Exchange Individual Investors Advisory Committee since 1991 and is currently a member of the Health Insurance Plan of New York's Board of Directors. She also teaches nonprofit management courses at the New School and Columbia University.

Robert V.A. Harra Jr. is president and chief operating officer of Wilmington Trust Co. He received a bachelor's degree in accounting in 1971 from the College of Business and Economics.

Harra joined Wilmington Trust Co. in 1971 and, in 1984, became a senior vice president of the retail-banking department. He was promoted to executive vice president in 1992 and was named president of the company in 1996.

Harra is involved in the community as president of the Delaware Bankers Association and as a member of the state of Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Council. He also serves on the State of Delaware Council on Banking and on the boards of the Grand Opera House, the Delaware Development Corp. and the United Way of Delaware. In 1991, UD awarded Harra the Outstanding Alumnus Award for his commitment to the University of Delaware and its Alumni Association.

Jane Watson Mitchell earned a bachelor's degree from the College of Arts and Science in 1963. Now retired, she worked as a registered nurse for more than 35 years. Mitchell holds the distinction of being the first African-American registered nurse employed in a hospital in the state of Delaware and the first African-American nurse to be appointed as director of psychiatric nursing services at the Delaware State Hospital.

She also was the first African-American to serve as the president of the Delaware Board of Nursing. Mitchell has been very active in her professional affiliations as a member of the American Nurses' Association, the Mary Mahoney Awards Committee and as a vice president of the Delaware Nurses' Association.

Everett Clarence Johnson was the founder of the Newark Post and the Press of Kells. He received a Delaware College degree in 1899 from the College of Arts and Science in history and political science. He died Feb. 19, 1926.

Johnson was committed to the success and growth of the University of Delaware. As a member of the Delaware Legislature, he was instrumental in the founding of the Women's College, which became part of UD. He served as Delaware's secretary of state from 1918 -1921 and was a lifetime trustee of the University. In addition, he was the head of the organization that built Memorial Hall. A book about Johnson is expected to be published this year.

-Beth Thomas
Photo by Duane Perry