The awards ceremony featured a wide array of groups and individuals dedicated to public health, education, social advocacy and volunteering.
The first of the honorees was the Dartmouth Graduate Veterans Association, which was presented with the student organization award.
The group was recognized for its commitment to community service. Members carried out weekly clothing and food drives for the Claremont soup kitchen and visited wounded veterans at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington, D.C., among other civic activities, Dean of the College Charlotte Johnson said in her introduction.
Ronald Bucca MALS'14, one of the honorees, said his group attempts to help many different types of people. This open-minded attitude stems from their experience in the military.
"When you're in combat, race, religion and culture don't matter," he said.
Members Desmond Webster MALS'13 and Michael Rodriguez MALS'13 also attended the ceremony to accept the award on behalf of the veterans' group.
In addition, Karen Lewis '74 was presented with the Lester B. Granger '18 Award for Lifetime Achievement, and Steven Cosson '90 was presented with the Ongoing Commitment Award.
Lewis, president of the Chicago Teachers Union, was recognized in part for her commitment to advancing and promoting high quality education and for her role in the 2012 Chicago teachers' strike. Lewis was unable to attend the event to accept the award in person.
Cosson was honored for his involvement with The Civilians, an investigative theater company that he founded in 2001. The company aims to tackle "the most vital questions of the present" by investigating underexplored social issues. In her introduction, Interim President Carol Folt described the group as a complex blend of "power and performance."
Cosson was unable to attend the event, but prepared a video statement for the subsequent panel.
In his message, he discussed his time at Dartmouth, including the difficulties he faced as an openly homosexual student. Cosson said his experience at the College influenced his decision to pursue a career that focused on social problems and relationships.
"I'm grateful for my moral compass that was partially forged at Dartmouth," Cosson said.
Geisel School of Medicine professor Joseph O'Donnell Med'71, accepted the Holly Fell Sateia Award.
Former College President Jim Yong Kim and Folt established the award in 2011 to commemorate Holly Fell Sateia MALS'82, vice president for institutional diversity and equity, and it recognizes a Dartmouth faculty or staff member who is a leader in advancing diversity and community.
In his acceptance speech, O'Donnell shared lessons from his years of service.
"The secret of life is the hokey pokey, you have to put your whole self in," he said.
The Lifetime Achievement Award, the final award of the event, was given to the Barnet family, including the late William Barnet II '34, his late wife Mary Barnet and their children, William Barnet III '64 Tu'65, Laurence Barnet '68 and Carol Barnet Fuchs for their efforts to provide disadvantaged youth with access to education.
Fuchs founded the Summer Enrichment at Dartmouth program, which brings under-resourced high school students to campus each summer, and accepted the award on her family's behalf.
In the panel discussion, Fuchs discussed SEAD and the origins of her motivation to help others. The students that she works with inspire her to keep serving, she said.
"We are developing potential in others, not trying to make them over in our image," she said. "I don't have to maintain my passion, the kids do it for me."
The awards ceremony also included a performance by the Rockapellas.
The Social Justice Awards Committee, which was responsible for selecting the honorees, included Kristen Aloisio, Christine Crabb '90, Tracy Dustin-Eichler, Robin Guay, Linda Martin, Maghan Porter, Rodrigo Ramirez '06, Molly St. Sauveur, Gabrielle Lucke and Steven Spaulding. The Holly Fell Sateia Committee included Elizabeth Agosto, Evelynn Ellis, Lynn Higgins, Lucke, Myron McCoo, Jane Seibel and Rachel Silver.
