College to present seven awards for excellence
Tuesday, October 14th, 2008
College of Human Ecology will honor several individuals and one business for key contributions and achievements at the annual Celebration of Excellence and Human Ecology Summit, Friday, Oct. 17.
The Partner Award, given to recognize individuals or businesses that help to enhance student and faculty research, internships or other educational opportunities, is being presented to Cramer Products, Gardner.
The company, a leader in sports medicine and athletic training room supplies for more than 85 years, has been a longtime supporter of K-State and the athletic training education program in the College of Human Ecology. Accepting the award for Cramer Products will be Tom Rogge, company president.
Evan and Andrea Grier will receive the Entrepreneur Award. The Griers, both 2002 K-State graduates in hotel and restaurant management, own Harry’s, an upscale restaurant, and Howdy’s, its companion deli-style lunch restaurant, in downtown Manhattan. They purchased the restaurants in 2006. Under their ownership, the restaurants have won several consumer choice awards and have been featured in publications around the state.
This spring, the Kansas Department of Commerce recognized Harry’s for contributions to economic development, community service and leadership in Kansas.
Evan Grier is the outgoing president of the College of Human Ecology Alumni Board and an active member on the board of Downtown Manhattan Inc. Andrea Grier is active in the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce.
Jamie LoCastro, New York City, will receive the Young Professional Award. LoCastro, a 2001 graduate in apparel and textiles, with a design emphasis, is the associate vice president of Nolan Glove Company. The former Salina resident is the youngest officer in the history of the 88-year-old business. Nolan produces children’s accessories, children’s outerwear and women’s wear. The company sells to more than 3,500 stores worldwide, including Target, Wal-Mart, Macy’s, J.C. Penney, Nordstrom and Kohls.
LoCastro is design manager for Target, the company’s largest account, works with Broqade, the women’s line, and does designing and merchandising for the children’s line. A key part of her work for Target is developing accessories from high fashion trends and translating them, through design and merchandising, into products for the mass-market level.
The Public Advocacy Award will be presented to Sharon Powell Quincy, Wichita. A retired social worker with the American Red Cross, Quincy is being recognized for her longtime work in disaster management and social services. She joined the Midway-Kansas chapter of the American Red Cross in 1971. More thanhalf of her Red Cross career has been spent in disaster services.
She has served as a national-level trainer for the Red Cross, served as a Red Cross relief operations director and participated on several state-level disaster multi-agency committees. She has provided service at all large disasters in Kansas for the last 20 years, as well as several nation-level disasters, including hurricanes, floods and tornadoes.
Quincy retired in 2006 but continues to volunteer for the Red Cross, currently serving in a new national volunteer position as a team leader for the Red Cross Response Evaluation Unit.
Rita Adrosko, curator emeritus of the Textiles Collection of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, will receive the Friend of the College Award. She is being honored for her donation of a collection of textiles and textile-related artifacts to the college.
Her first publication, “Natural Dyes in the United States,” was published in 1968; it was re-printed in 1972 and that version has been in print almost continuously since that time. She also is an expert on the Jacquard loom. She is from Washington, D.C.
The Distinguished Service Award will be presented to Karla Hughes. Hughes has served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Kentucky’s Morehead State University since July 2007.
She earned her bachelor’s in 1972 and her master’s in 1974, both in foods and nutrition, from K-State.
Her work has been published in professional journals and she has served as a professional consultant for more than 10 years. Her administrative experience includes serving as dean of the College of Human Ecology at East Carolina University.
Jay Mancini will receive the Distinguished Research Award. Mancini, who earned a master’s in family and child development from K-State in 1974, is a professor of human development at Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, Va.
He is senior research fellow with the university’s Institute for Society, Culture and Environment and a Fellow of the National Council on Family Relations. His work has focused on lifespan human development, community systems, building community capacity, military family support systems, time use and families, and psychological well-being. Current research projects include technology can support vulnerable populations in times of natural and man-made disasters, and the effects of multiple deployments on attachment among youth in military families.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 14th, 2008 and is filed under Congratulations, Events.