Tepper also recognized employees celebrating 30, 20, and 10 years of service at Hamilton. “More and more employees define loyalty as doing their job well — commitment to getting the assignment done well, rather than loyalty to the institution,” he said. “Today’s ceremony is evidence that loyalty is not dead. Many of you today have outpaced the general workplace in your dedication to Hamilton and its students and mission.”
Tobin Award recipients were Custodian Sally Pritchard in the facilities management group; Assistant to the Dean of Faculty Kim Reale in the staff category; and Associate Director of Sustainability and Safety Sara Soika for administrators. Director of College Events and Scheduling Lisa Magnarelli was honored with the Wertimer-Couper Award.
The Tobin Awards are named for Hamilton’s 18th president, Gene Tobin, and his wife, Beverly. Colleagues are recognized for putting forth incredible efforts to support students and co-workers.
In announcing Pritchard’s award, Tepper quoted nominators who said she is “always willing to lend a hand even if it’s not part of her job description, all while keeping up with her responsibilities” and “is one of the people [who makes] sure Hamilton is a beautiful shining light.”
Another nominator said, “[Pritchard’s] figured ways to improve the efficiency of her job and helped [others] work better with her new ideas.” Another added, “She deserves recognition for no other reason than she would never look for it. Her job is why she is here — for the people is why she works.”
Tepper noted that Reale received eight nominations and shared some descriptions provided by her colleagues: “warm, pleasant, ultimate team player, quick to shout-out about other employees who do a great job.” He quoted other nominators’ comments: “She’s the kind of colleague who makes everyone around her better — not just through her skills and dedication, but through her kindness, humility, and steady presence,” and “she’s truly one of the shining stars on campus who interacts with a wide array of people every day and makes their day better by presenting a great example of Hamilton kindness, care, and community.”
Describing Soika, Tepper said she “helps Hamilton strive for a more sustainable campus, culture, and curriculum. She assists with innovative … programs such as Cram & Scram, which provides students with a way to reduce landfill waste; green-to-go containers, which reduce the College’s single-use container consumption; Weigh the Waste, which reminds students to avoid food waste; and the reforestation program on College land that helps capture carbon and move us closer to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030.” He quoted a nominator who said Soika brings an “infectious positivity to every effort, consistently encouraging others to get involved, and fostering a culture of environmental responsibility on campus.”
The Wertimer-Couper Award recognizes a member of the community who embodies a spirit of generosity, loyalty, and fidelity. Tepper said Magnarelli has been serving Hamilton students in various roles for 25 years. “But the pièce de résistance of her many contributions to our students and the College came earlier this year when … she spearheaded Barack Obama’s visit to campus,” Tepper said.
“Rumor has it that when the 44th president of the United States left office in 2017 [Magnarelli] was on the phone the next day, the next week, the next year — and it seems every week and year since then — inviting him to participate in the Sacerdote Great Names Series. That persistence … paid off when a capacity audience packed the Margaret Bundy Scott Field House on April 3 to hear the former president’s first remarks on a college campus since leaving office.”
Tepper also noted Magnarelli’s service to the local community as vice president of the Clinton Central Board of Education, and added that “… Ellie Wertimer and Patsy Couper would have approved of such community involvement.”
