My Colby-Sawyer Experience
"Doing a project is different when you know a real company and people beyond the professor will see it."
- Justin Jackiewicz, Graphic Design major
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distinguished alumni award
The Distinguished Alumni Award is given annually at Commencement in recognition of an alumna or alumnus who has made a distinctive and unique contribution to his or her profession and to society.
2008 Award Recipient: JoAnn Franke Overfield '69
JoAnn Franke Overfield received her Associate in Science and Bachelor of Science degrees from Colby-Sawyer College in 1968 and 1969. She has since led a remarkable life enriched by her dedication to philanthropy and volunteerism, and Colby-Sawyer has often been the beneficiary of her generosity in both of these areas.
Mrs. Overfield has served the college as an Alumni Association board member, Alumni Trustee (1994-1997), Term Trustee (1998-2003), member of the Academic Vice President Search Committee, and member of the Arts Center Steering Committee. Among her numerous gifts to the college is the JoAnn Franke Overfield Scholarship, which is awarded each year to a student with an interest in, or who is majoring in, the sciences or arts. She also established, along with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John R. Franke Jr., the Emma M. Franke Scholarship Fund to honor Mrs. Overfield's grandmother. This scholarship benefits female students majoring in education, human services or psychology. She is recognized as a wise and valuable friend who has helped to guide Colby-Sawyer along the path of accomplishment.
Always one to offer her time for the good of the greater community, Mrs. Overfield served as a board member and a Development Committee member of the Seattle Children's Home, served two terms as the chair of the Edgewood Planning Commission, and coached female soccer players age six to 17. In addition, she has been in the art business for 24 years as a partner and owner of a prominent Seattle art gallery.
President Tom Galligan said of Mrs. Overfield, “She is a fantastic friend of Colby-Sawyer. She regularly travels across the country to participate in college events, advise us and brighten our days. We are lucky to have a friend and alumna as wonderful as JoAnn, and it is our great honor to present her with the Distinguished Alumni Award.”
Past Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients
| 2007 | Jean “Je-Je” Harding Pierce '47 |
| 2006 | Leslie Wright Dow '57 |
| 2005 | Mary Trafton Simonds '38 |
| 2004 | Suzanne Simons Hammond '66 |
| 2003 | Eleanor Morrison Goldthwait '51, '52 |
| 2002 | Deborah Field McGrath '68 |
| 2001 | Barbara Clough '31, '01 |
| 2000 | Anne Winton Black '73, '75 |
| 1999 | Sharon Fitzpatrick Merrill '68 |
| 1998 | Diane Shugrue Gallagher '57 |
| 1997 | Joyce Juskalian Kolligian '55 |
| 1996 | Rebecca Young Robinson '64 |
| 1995 | Veda Kaufman Levin '67 |
| 1994 | Marilyn Moore Maslow '52 |
| 1993 | Jan Brett '69 |
