Mirror - Vol. 19, No. 20 - April 13, 1995

              The
FairfieldMIRR©R Volume 19, No. 20 Thursday, April 13, 1995 The Image of Fairfield
Jean Kennedy Smith to speak at commencement
Caitlin Whelan
News Editor Emeritus
Jean Kennedy Smith,
the United States ambassador to
Ireland, will be the main speaker
at Fairfield's commencement
ceremonies on Sunday, May 21.
Smith, who played a major role
in bringing peace to Northern
Ireland, will receive an honorary
doctor of laws degree.
Also at the ceremonies,
the University will bestow
honorary doctor of laws degrees
upon three individuals in
recognition of their public
service: Jacquelyn C. Durrell,
the first selectman for the Town
of Fairfield from 1983 to 1993;
Marian L. Heard, former
president and CEO of the United
Way of Massachusetts Bay, as
well as CEO of United Ways of
New England; and the Rev.
Alfred C. Kammer, S.J.,
president and CEO of Catholic
Charities USA, the country's
largest voluntary human service
network.
Rev. Aloysius P.
Kelley, University president,
stated two reasons for which
choosing to honor Jean Kennedy
Smith is timely. She has created
an arts program for the
handicapped, and this year the
state of Connecticut will host
the Special Olympics World
Games. Additionally, reflective
of Smith' s efforts to bring peace
to Northern Ireland, 1995 is the
150th anniversary of the Irish
potato blight which led to
widespread famine and death in
Ireland in the nineteenth century.
The famine prompted Smith's
great-grandfather, Patrick
Kennedy, to emigrate to the
United States where his
descendants formed one of
America's most distinguished
political families, including
Smith's father Joseph, U.S.
ambassador to England, her
brothers President John F.
Kennedy and Senator Robert F.
Kennedy, and Massachusetts'
current senator, Edward
Kennedy.
Smith became
ambassador to Ireland in 1993.
She has spoken with both
Protestant and Catholic
politicians from Northern
Ireland, hoping to bring
prosperity to the land and bring
about reconciliation between the
two factions. She is reported to
have recommended that
President Clinton issue a visa to
enable Gerry Adams, president
of the political arm of the
outlawed Irish Republican
Army, to visit the United States.
At the time of her
appointment as ambassador,
President Clinton acknowledged
that Smith was already serving
as unofficial international
ambassador, traveling around the
world in behalf of Very Special
Arts, an organization Smith
founded to provide opportunities
for the disabled in the arts. The
group coordinates programs for
250,000 children in all 50 states
and 55 countries.
By conferring an
honorary degree upon Jacquelyn
C. Durrell, Fairfield recognizes
a woman who won five terms as
first selectman, as well as serving
on the Board of Selectmen, as a
state representative, chairman of
the Fairfield Board of Education,
and a member of the Republican
Town Committee since 1965.
Durrell is also active in
community service, and has been
a member of Fairfield
University's Trustee Advisory
Committee, United Way
Homeless Executive Committee,
and a member of the board of
directors ofAmerican Red Cross,
Bridgeport Hospital, and the
Kennedy Center.
Marian L. Heard also
brings with her a history of
service, becoming nationally
recognized as an advocate on
children's issues, volunteerism,
and human services. She has
served on the board of directors
of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of
Massachusetts, Michael
Jackson's Heal the World
Foundation, and on the board of
trustees of the Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute. Heard served
as interim president and CEO of
President Bush's Points of Light
Foundation and was recently
named by Massachusetts
governor William Weld to the
Massachusetts National and
Community Service
Commission.
Alfred C. Kammer,
S.J., a Jesuit priest, is an attorney
holding a law degree from Yale
University. He is active in
programs for the
underprivileged, serving as
policy advisor for health and
welfare issues for the U. S.
Catholic Conference,directorof
the Senior Citizens Law Project
ofthe Atlanta Legal Aid Society
as well as a volunteer civil rights
attorney in Chicago. Kammeris
the author of two books on
Catholic social thought, and has
written several articles on legal
service and religious
commitment, substance abuse,
law for the elderly, and the
potential failure of certain
welfare reform proposals.
At the forty-fifth
commencement this year,
Fairfield will award 880
bachelors, master's and
associates degrees and
certificates of advanced study.
In addition, thirty- five degrees
will be awarded to graduates of
the BEI School of Engineering,
which is participating in
Fairfield's commencement for
the first time since its 1994
merger with the University.
Four student awards announced
Shelagh Scollin
Staff Writer
Four seniors, Jim Sulzer,
Chris Pilkerton, Erica Lyn French,
and Lyra Espineli, will be
recognized for their achievements
and contributions to Fairfield at
the Student Awards Dinner on
Wednesday, April 26.
Jim Sulzer, of Bardonia,
New York, will receive the Loyola
Medal, which recognizes
outstanding commitment to
intellectual, emotional, and social
growth during his undergraduate
career.
A double major in
accounting and politics who has
maintained a 3.76 grade point
average, Sulzer has nevertheless
devoted much ofhis time to service
of others. He has volunteered at
soup kitchens, served as a FUSA
senator and director of academics,
planned a retreat through campus
ministry, has been a Resident
Assistant for two years, and has
traveled to Jamaica as a mission
volunteer. For the past year, he
has been president of Fairfield's
chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu, the
national Jesuit Honor Society. In
this capacity he founded the
Alternative Rides program, which
Passover
celebrated
*tfifci
Clockwise left to right: Jim Sulzer, Chris
Pilkerton, Erica Lyn French, & Lyra Espineli Photos: PR
offers students rides back from
the beach to prevent drunk driving.
In addition, Sulzer has
participated in the HungerCleanup
all four years, and has been co-chair
of the commi ttee for the past
two years. His efforts last year
resulted in Fairfield winning a
national award for number of
participants, which he and the
committee still managed to
increased by over 70 volunteers
this year.
"What makes the Hunger
Cleanup worthwhile is that it gives
people, many of whom haven't
done community service before,
an opportunity to get involved,"
said Sulzer. "This way, maybe
some of the participants will
continue with volunteer work in
the future."
Carolyn Rusiackas of
campus ministry, in nominating
him for the award, said, "Jim shines
in everything he attempts and
never in a way that calls attention
to himself, but rather in a way that
puts others at ease and joyful at his
accomplishments. Jim is respected
by his peers in a way that I have
rarely seen."
Chris Pilkerton of
Potomac, Maryland, will receive
the William J. Kramer '60 Award.
The Kramer Award, presented
annually by the Fairfield
University Alumni Association,
recognizes the senior who by his
or her service to the community
beyond Fairfield University, best
exemplifies the spirit of
volunteerism.
Serving the community
internationally, by traveling to
Jamaica as a mission volunteer,
locally, as a member of Fairfield' s
town council, and on-campus, as
the 1994-95 FUSA president,
Pilkerton has truly demonstrated a
dedication to helping others.
A double major in
communications and politics,
Pilkerton has served as a bridge
between the University
community and the town of
Fairfield since his election to the
Representative Town council in
November of 1993. He started the
"Hindsight Project," an
educational outreach program
which creates opportunities for
high school students to learn from
the experiences of college
students.
In nominating Pilkerton
for the Kramer Award, Dr.
Beverly Kahn, assistant dean of
the College of Arts and Sciences,
said, "Chris Pilkerton is clearly a
capable leader and activist. As
founder of the Hindsight Project,
he has made a significant long-term
impact on the town, helping
us all to learn and to work together
to build a stronger and more
caring community."
Following graduation,
Pilkerton, a Dean's List student
and member of Pi Sigma Alpha,
the politics honor society, plans
to pursue a career in consulting.
His advice to other students is to
get involved and take risks.
"Being involved in
politics both in the community
and on the campus has helped me
to understand that change can
happen. It just takes a lot of hard
work," said Pilkerton. "There
are people out there willing to
help, but they can't help you until
they know what you need. It's up
(Continued on page 3)
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