Facilities Management custodian Heidi Griffith was honored with the Ellie Wertimer – Patsy Couper Award, given annually to an employee who goes above and beyond in service to students, and three employees were presented with the Tobin Employee Awards at the service recognition luncheon on May 14.
Hamilton President David Wippman read from the citation awarded to Griffith: “Hamilton College is defined by the care and devotion of its employees, especially people who go beyond the responsibilities of their job description to support and attend to our students. Even among a hilltop full of compassionate and encouraging individuals, you stand out.
"It is not uncommon for employees in the Philip Spencer House to find a note of encouragement or a small treat in their office when they arrive for work. A new photograph placed in an office is observed with a special comment, and there’s almost always a note to brighten one’s day on the kitchen white board. Quite simply, you are like a member of the family.”
The Ellie Wertimer-Patsy Couper Award recognizes one member of the Hamilton College community (administration, faculty or staff) who embodies the spirit of generosity, loyalty and fidelity evidenced by Ellie Wertimer and Patsy Couper during their lifetimes. The award criteria states, “Recipients should be individuals who exceed the normal expectations of their jobs to show extraordinary counsel and support to Hamilton students.”
Ellie Wertimer was a local civic leader and widow of beloved and long-time Hamilton Professor of Economics Sidney Wertimer. Patricia Pogue Couper was a Hamilton benefactor and widow of alumnus Richard W. Couper ’44. Both women died in 2014.
The Tobin Employee Awards were instituted in 2006 to annually recognize one representative from each of the College’s three non-faculty groups of employees. Academic Office assistant for Music Kim Carroll was the staff recipient; Director of Interactive Media Esena Jackson received the administrator’s award; and Facilities Management custodian Karen Barlow was maintenance and operations recipient.
Monetary awards are made each year from an employee-generated fund established in 2003 to honor Gene Tobin, Hamilton College’s 18th president, and his wife Beverly. The fund recognizes the couple’s 23 years of service to the Hamilton community.
Award criteria include making significant improvements in College services; showing innovation, imagination or creativity on the job; taking significant interest in and participating in College activities; demonstrating job performance that consistently exceeds expectations; and exemplifying integrity and dedication to the College mission and goals.
