Nominate someone

Nominations for Outstanding Alumni are invited each January. A committee of alumni representatives reviews the nominations in March, making a final recommendation to the NMC President in April. The recipient is officially introduced at NMC's commencement ceremony in May.

Contact Sonia Clem for details:
(231) 995-1030
sclem@nmc.edu

Outstanding Alumni

This honorary award was established in 1988 to recognize NMC alumni who are noteworthy for their:

continued donation of time, talent, resources and enthusiasm on behalf of the college;
significant professional achievements;
exemplary leadership in community and professional activities.

2009 Honorees

Verna Bartnik

The owner of Old Mission Tavern-Bella Galleria, a restaurant and gallery space near the tip of Old Mission Peninsula, Bartnick studied sculpture at NMC in the 1960s. She was an early supporter of the Dennos Museum Center and the arts in the Grand Traverse region. Many former NMC students have exhibited at her gallery. Her own sculpture can be seen at St. Francis Catholic Church in Traverse City, at Clinch Park on West Bay, and in the Tanis Building lobby on main campus.

Bruce Byl

Byl served in the U.S. Marine Corp prior to earning his Associate Degree in Aviation from NMC in 1979. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree from Michigan State and subsequently became president and CEO of a Chicago-based Steelcase commercial furniture distributor. Now director of real estate and special projects for Northwestern Bank, his community involvements include the NMC Foundation board. He is also a founder of Food Rescue of Northwest Michigan, which “rescues” soon-to-expire fresh food from grocery stores and restaurants and redistributes it to non-profits.

Tim Dunn

Dunn graduated from the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in 1992. He subsequently earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Ferris State University. A registered pilot on the Great Lakes since 1998, in 2002 he was part of the volunteer crew that delivered the training ship State of Michigan from New York to Traverse City. He is a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve and has done six tours of duty in Kuwait supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. A past president of the Great Lakes Maritime Academy Alumni Association, he also does volunteer work for seniors and senior veterans.

Previous Outstanding Alumni

2008: Todd McMillen (class of 1985)
2007: John Robert Williams (class of 1976)
2006: James DeLapa (class of 1956)
2005: Larry Inman (class of 1974)
2004: Jean M. Rokos (class of 1975)
2003: Jason Allen (class of 1983)
2002: Maurie Dennis (class of 1965)
2001: Student Government Association Presidents
2000: John Pelizzari (class of 1975)
1999: Walter J. Hooper (class of 1968)
1998: James Clancy (class of 1955)
1997: Richard Benedict (class of 1984)
1996: Lloyd V. Hackley (class of 1964)
1993: John & Gloria Lyon (class of 1979)
1991: Alexander Galligan (class of 1953)
1990: David & Sally Viskochil (class of 1964)
1989: Morris Thomas (class of 1964)
1988: Charles Kesner (class of 1959)