Diann T. Lynch

2019 DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

Each work day at Hamilton, you deftly handle a job that is as complex as it is critically important. As a registered nurse with a background in trauma care, you’ve served student patients in the Health Center since 1983. You also serve students as a mentor by coordinating Hamilton’s Emergency Medical Services, making sure that state-certified student EMTs receive the training and support they need. You help coordinate the College immunization program, are involved in training resident advisors, counsel students who are planning to go abroad, and work to educate students around health and wellness. Getting all that right takes a deep reservoir of knowledge and dedication, and you’ve done it right year after year. 

The student EMTs you work with are your biggest fans, impressed by your passion and your willingness to go above and beyond. They know they can call on you, day or night, and you’ll be there. You spend hours creating and grading quizzes to help them keep their skills up to date. One of the EMTs won’t forget the time her work jacket got soiled on the job, and you took it home and washed it so she had it to wear again the next day. It’s no wonder they sometimes say you are like a mother to them. Even so, you respect their professionalism and hear their voices — guiding, not directing, them. And as an advocate, you ensure that their good work is recognized. 

As for recognition of your own good work, the list is impressive. In 2006, you were the first administrator to receive Hamilton’s Tobin Employee Award. Three years later, you received the Deb Hart Memorial Award for establishing the only campus-based Emergency Medical Services in the region. In 2018, you were named the Midstate EMS Nurse of Excellence for being an outstanding champion of your field. Your professional peers and Hamilton colleagues, as well as the students you mentor, accord you the greatest respect, and so do we. For all you do, we gratefully present you today with the Distinguished Service Award.

Citation presented by
Paddy McGuire ’81, P’11
President, Alumni Association
June 7, 2019