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DePauw honors alumni with Old Gold Weekend awards
Four distinguished alumni will be honored during DePauw University’s Old Gold Weekend homecoming celebrations Oct. 5-7.
Alan P. Hill, class of 1981, will receive the Old Gold Goblet. The university’s most prestigious award recognizes eminence in life’s work and service to DePauw.
Hill retired in 2022 as DePauw’s vice president for student affairs and dean of students. As a student at DePauw, he earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a Master of Arts in teaching. He was also a track and field national champion in pole vaulting and a high-achieving football athlete who signed a free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys and has been inducted into the university’s Athletics Hall of Fame.
Anajah L. Roberts, Class of 2010, will receive the Young Alumni Award honoring an individual under the age of 40 who has demonstrated leadership in career and civic associations and has shown strong loyalty to DePauw.
Roberts was a member of the Posse program and earned a degree in political science at DePauw. As an executive director for Teach for America (TFA), community advocate and certified professional coach, Roberts drives transformation in education across the Chicagoland area and beyond.
Alumni Citations recognize outstanding professional achievement in areas such as performing arts, entrepreneurship, science, technology or media. Those receiving Alumni Citations this year include Claire Cunningham Eblovi, class of 2004, and Dr. Saundra Lawson Taylor, class of 1963.
Eblovi serves as the chief executive officer of One World Surgery, a global health nonprofit with the mission to ignite the spirit of service and transform lives by providing access to high-quality surgical care globally. Under Eblovi’s leadership, One World Surgery as a nonprofit was launched from inception to now operating in three countries with 90 employees and a $16 million operating budget to impact 27,000 underserved patients globally.
Dr. Taylor is nationally respected for her roles in clinical psychology, higher education and civil rights. She earned a degree in psychology from DePauw and went on to earn a master’s degree from Bowling Green State University and a doctorate from Ohio University.
From 1968-1992, Taylor served Western Washington University as a counselor and director of the student counseling center, an associate professor of psychology, and vice president for student affairs. In 1992, she made history at the University of Arizona as the first female Black vice president of student affairs.
“DePauw University produces leaders, innovators and engaged citizens who bring about change and progress wherever they go,” Associate Vice President for Annual Giving and Engagement Al Smith said. “Our 2023 Alumni Award recipients are evidence of this. Their accomplishments bring honor to the entire DePauw community. I am humbled and delighted to celebrate their successes with these awards.”
Old Gold Weekend began in 1907 and became DePauw’s current version of homecoming. Alumni and friends are invited back to campus to celebrate Oct. 5-7, including the Old Gold football game vs. Dension on Saturday, Oct. 7.