11:32 a.m., Nov. 17, 2008----Mark Manno, a statewide 4-H educator with UD Cooperative Extension, Steven W. Peuquet, the director of UD's Center for Community Research and Service, and Paul Galonsky, a full-time graduate student in UD's College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy, received the 2008 Ratledge Family Awards for Delaware Public Service on Oct. 27.

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At the award ceremony, which was held at the Roselle Center for the Arts, UD Provost Dan Rich said that the three honorees “carry out public service not as a workday obligation but as a way of life.”

The Ratledge family, Delawareans who trace their roots back to the 1700s, established the award, which reflects the family's long commitment to the state of Delaware and to the University of Delaware. The award recognizes significant public service by members of the UD community that contributes to the well-being of all Delawareans. Preference is given to members of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy.

Mark Manno

“Mark Manno's name is synonymous with Delaware 4-H but his influence has been much broader,” said Robin W. Morgan, dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. “Via clubs, camps, school-based programs and community organizations, Mark's dedication to Delaware's youth spans three decades.”

Nationwide, Delaware 4-H is recognized as the model for others to emulate. Annually, nearly 47 percent of all Delaware youth participate in a 4-H program; no other state comes close to that market share. Joy Sparks, state program leader for Delaware 4-H, credits Manno for much of this success.

Manno has consistently been on the cutting edge in developing innovative 4-H programming. In 2006, he created a summer biotechnology camp, part of a 4-H program to educate youth about science and technology. That same year, the U.S. State Department selected and supported the Delaware 4-H/Bosnia Youth Development Program, an exchange program that Manno developed.

Since 2000, Manno has been the statewide Extension educator for nontraditional programs and hard-to-reach audiences. In this role, he has been extremely successful at securing major grants to fund key initiatives, such as after-school programs in under-served communities.

“I know few people as dedicated as Mark Manno,” said Jan Seitz, associate dean and director of UD Cooperative Extension. “No challenge is too great when he is after funds designed to make a difference in the lives of youth.”

Manno said the seeds for his career path were planted when he was a UD undergraduate in Dr. George Haenlein's Dairy Production class and took farm animals to children at the Overbrook School for the Blind in Philadelphia. He said it was a life-changing experience that made him realize he wanted to continue to find ways to make a difference in people's lives.

His greatest career satisfaction, Manno said, comes from former 4-Hers who thank him for the impact he had on their lives. But Manno said he is also very honored to be one of the 2008 Ratledge Family Award recipients.

“The Ratledge Family is such an iconic name in Delaware,” said Manno. “To be recognized with such a prestigious award and to be included with the other winners is pretty amazing.”

Steven Peuquet

Peuquet came to the University of Delaware in 1983 and said he never expected to stay. “I never intended to be a college professor, or even work in higher education because I thought that that would insulate me too much from being involved in solving real world problems,” Peuquet said. “I changed my mind about this soon after I joined the University.”

“Within weeks I learned that there was a serious commitment to public service within (what was then called) the College of Urban Affairs and Public Policy, and to use public service to enhance instruction and research. I was hooked, and after 25 years I'm still greatly enjoying my work here at the University of Delaware.”

Peuquet is a city planner and urban economist with interest and expertise in fair housing, homelessness, neighborhood revitalization and poverty issues. Since 2005, he has been director of the Center for Community Research and Service in UD's College of Human Resources, Education and Public Policy. The center's research and public service activities focus on the enhancement of social and economic opportunity and community development.

Peuquet also is an associate professor in the College's School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy. He has played a variety of other leadership roles in and outside the University and is an officer on numerous nonprofit boards and public commissions.

"Steve Peuquet is a working scholar in the best sense of the phrase,” said Michael Gamel-McCormick, interim dean of the College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy. “He works to understand how systems operate, and then he applies that knowledge for the betterment of society. Whether the topic concerns affordable housing, community leadership and development, or neighborhood and town and city economies, Steve ensures that the complexities of systems information are translated to the grassroots level.”

Peuquet said he is grateful for the University support he has received throughout the years. “The [University's] leaders have clearly articulated that public service is a central part of the University's mission and have made the resources available to carry out this important part of the mission.”

Paul Galonsky

The third award recipient, Galonsky, is a full-time graduate student in the College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy and a graduate research assistant with UD's Center for Disabilities Studies. Prior to this, he was employed by the Mental Health Association of Delaware, where he worked as a program manager for community outreach programs.

In his remarks at the award ceremony, Galonsky noted that close to 19 million Americans experience clinical depression and more than 30,000 die as a result of suicide.

“These truths led to my desire to work in public service, and to promote the message of good mental health with the hopes that I could possibly help someone else lead a better life,” he said.

Galonsky has been tremendously successful in promoting good mental health in Delaware. He has developed numerous conferences and workshops, including the People of Color Mental Health Conference in Delaware, which is now in its seventh year and has received national recognition. He also was campaign director for America's Campaign on Mental Health, sponsored by Mental Health America, and was outreach project manager for the National Institute of Mental Health's Outreach Partnership Program.

The Ratledge award is not the first recognition of Galonsky's public service efforts. He was the subject of a proclamation by Mayor James Baker of the city of Wilmington and received the Wilmington Award in gratitude for his loyal service to the citizens of the city.

“Paul Galonsky exemplifies the student-scholar that is so valued by the Ratledge Family Award," said Gamel-McCormick. “His long-term work with the Mental Health Association of Delaware provides a wonderful foundation for his academic work. Through his graduate assistantship, he is working with the Center for Disabilities Studies to form health policy for persons with disabilities. The combination of his experience, his assistantship and his academic work make Paul's efforts all the more valuable to the community and the groups with whom he works.”

Article by Margo McDonough
Photos by Danielle Quigley