Wall Service Award 1997 Winners
Doug Cutchins ’93 and Anne Geissinger ’93
Doug Cutchins ’93 and Anne Geissinger ’93 received $18,000 to augment and expand the educational facilities and opportunities of 1,500 Saramaccan residents of the Gran Lio River in Suriname, South America. The funds were used to repair and electrify a village school, as well as to build, staff, and supply a village library.
When they received the award, Geissinger told Grinnell Magazine, “This award will mean that more children will be able to come to school. They will be able to start and complete and education in the village. And then they will have the opportunity to go on for further education in the capital of Suriname.”
Jenny Egan ’49
Jenny Egan ’49 received her Wall Award to help orchestrate a series of three concerts featuring multi-ethnic music from the period of Spanish conquest and early European settlement of the Southwest. Both religious and secular music was presented from the Native American, Hispanic, and European traditions, including folk songs, villancicos, court music, and Sephardic song with percussion.
Egan told Grinnell Magazine, “the concerts will demonstrate that music is a part of daily life, not merely an esoteric activity of a handful of concert goers. Music is found at the heart of worship, love and mating rituals, the quest for spiritual wholeness, the acceptance of loss, the celebration of joy, and the reverence of nature. While the uses of music are not identical in all cultures, they frequently overlap in ways which, when we are made aware of them, increase our understanding of our common ties.”
Lynne Stoelting Leeper ’67
Lynne Stoelting Leeper ’67 applied for the Wall Award as the project coordinator for Washington state's Parents Are Vital in Education Parent Training Project (PAVE). The $25,000 was used to hold the Kaleidoscope Conference. Upon receiving the award, Leeper explained to Grinnell Magazine, "The Kaleidoscope Conference will be an opportunity for families of children with disabilities to meet each other, to learn about what support exists from various state and federal agencies as well as community organizations, and to understand how they impact the world around them as individuals and as a group.
Ric MacDowell ’68
Ric MacDowell ’68 was serving as a county extension agent for West Virginia University when he received the Wall Service Award in the amount of $21,600. “I'm a youth development agent,” Ric told Grinnell Magazine, “which means I work on a county level with young people and families. My major emphasis is on working with kids who are at risk.”
MacDowell used his award to develop a program to bring together at-risk children, parents, supporting adults, and teachers. The project goal was to support parents, helping them develop new skills and stressing their own abilities and knowledge.
Learn more about the Wall Service Award and see other previous winners.