The Northland College Alumni Association Awards Program is proud to announce the alumni and friends of the College who have made significant professional and/or personal accomplishments in a number of categories.
Ori-Anne Pagel ’69, Distinguished Service Award
A lifetime of love for the arts and history fuel Ori-Anne’s passion for the Northland College Archives. This volunteer run resource was saved by Ori-Anne and other thoughtful alumni under her direction. She has contributed countless hours to collecting, organizing, and cataloging items and documents which—without her effort—may well have been destroyed. She truly is the savior of our past, preserving it for our boundless future.
Ori-Anne will be honored at the Orange and Blue Alumni Dinner Party, Saturday, September 23, 6-9 p.m. Register now.
Andrea Robertson ’00, Northern Lights Music & Arts Award
Andrea is an Ashland native who received her degree in history before getting her PhD and taking an assistant professor position at Macalester College. She began writing novels after a horse broke her foot. Eleven books later, she believes that horse must have been an agent of fate. Writing under the name Andrea Cremer, she is a New York Times bestselling author for her book Nightshade (2010) and now is a full-time author for Penguin Books.
Andrea will be honored at the Orange and Blue Alumni Dinner Party, Saturday, September 23, 6-9 p.m. Register now.
Matt Tanneberg ’10, Young Alumni Achievement Award
Graduating with a degree in biochemistry, Matt received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic in San Jose, California. He graduated cum laude at the top of his class. He works with professional athletes from MLB, NHL, NFL, NCAA, and the US Olympic team. He volunteers his time and skills for local sporting events and schools with low-income students.
Matt will not be present but will be honored at the Orange and Blue Alumni Dinner Party, Saturday, September 23, 6-9 p.m. Register now.
POSTHUMOUS AWARDS
Parker Matzinger ’16, Young Alumni Achievement Award
The indelible Parker achieved more as a young man and undergraduate than most do in a lifetime. His work with Professor Eric Olson was groundbreaking and quickly revolutionizing their area of environmental research. Parker, while a very recent graduate, touched the lives of countless students, alumni, and Ashland community members. His life was cut tragically short in early 2017 doing exactly what he loved to do: environmental research about the wild places he spent his short life protecting.
Parker will be recognized at the 125th Convocation, Saturday, September 23, 3-5 p.m. Register now.
Marlene Parkhurst, Athletic Hall of Fame Induction
Marlene served Northland from 1969-1999. Pre-Title IX, Marlene was ahead of her times, starting the women’s volleyball team which began women’s sports at Northland. She left Northland to get her doctorate, returning to campus in 1982. She was hired as the athletic director and served until 1999. Under her direction, the athletic program grew, adding softball, hockey, baseball, and women’s soccer. Her contributions to Northland cannot be overstated, we simply would not be the same place if it wasn’t for Marlene.
Marlene will be recognized at the 125th Convocation, Saturday, September 23, 3-5 p.m. Register now.
NOTE: The Alumni Board is seeking nominations for next year’s Alumni Association Awards, presented in September. Anyone can nominate and some award categories are open to friends, faculty, and staff. The Alumni Board of Directors approves the nominations and awards. Check out the categories and nominate someone today.