Alumni Award Nominations
Since 1959, the Pfeiffer Alumni Association has recognized the extraordinary contributions of alumni by presenting two annual awards to deserving individuals. In 2015, the Office of the President created the Presidential Merit Award to recognize young alumni. These awards are presented during the Annual Alumni Gathering at Homecoming.
We encourage all alumni to nominate those deserving of recognition. The submission deadline for award nominations is April 30th, each year. Click below to download nomination forms. Please note that individuals may only be nominated for one award per year. The Alumni Board of Directors reserves the right to determine which award category is most appropriate/applicable for nomination in the case of an alumnus being nominated for both Outstanding and Distinguished Awards.
- Distinguished Alumni Award Download here
- Outstanding Alumni Award Download here
- Presidential Merit Award Download here
Print and mail nomination forms to Pfeiffer University Advancement Office, P.O. Box 960, Misenheimer, N.C. 28109, or email forms to advance@pfeiffer.edu.
2023 Alumni Award Recipients
Wayne Davis ’70 Named 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient
Dr. Wayne T. Davis ’70, the recipient of the 2023 Pfeiffer University Distinguished Alumni Award, has enjoyed a notable and celebrated career in higher education. He has demonstrated again and again that a graduate of Pfeiffer can absorb the best from its small-is-beautiful culture and apply it successfully on a much larger stage. For Davis, Pfeiffer helped provide the foundation for teaching and leadership positions at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT), where he spent his career.
Awarded by the Alumni Association Board of Directors to honor excellence in one’s profession or community service.
David Smith ’70 Receives 2023 Outstanding Alumni Award
By the 1990s, David Smith ’70, the recipient of the 2023 Outstanding Alumni Award, had established himself as a loyal supporter of his alma mater.
He was making regular financial donations to Pfeiffer, hosting gatherings of Pfeiffer alumni at his home in Charlotte, N.C., and staying connected through campus service days. He often rooted for the Falcons at various athletic contests, including those involving the men’s tennis team, on which he played so well in the 1960s that he became a member of the Pfeiffer University Sports Hall of Fame, in 2019.
Awarded by the Alumni Association Board of Directors to honor one’s significant contributions to Pfeiffer University.
Charles Ingram ’11, ’14 MBA Receives 2023 Presidential Merit Award
Charles Ingram ’11, ’14 MBA, the recipient of this year’s Presidential Merit Award, made the most of what Pfeiffer offered during his time as a student. Since then, he has leveraged his education to build a promising career in finance. The Presidential Merit Award, which is given by Pfeiffer’s President to alumni who are 35 or younger, have excelled early in their careers, and show potential for continued success, celebrates Ingram’s career accomplishments.
Awarded by the President of Pfeiffer University to alumni who are 35 years of age or younger, who have excelled early in their careers, and who show potential for continued success.
1962 Rev. Lloyd G. Lowder ’42
1963 Dr. Garmon B. Smith ’40
1964 Rev. Dr. William K. Quick ’52, ’72 (Hon.)
1965 Rev. Dr. Ernest A. Fitzgerald ’43, ’86 (Hon.)
1966 Edwin W. Woodhouse ’58
1967 Rev. Herbert E. Blackmon ’36
1967 Dr. Earl W. Vaughn ’47, ’83 (Hon.)
1968 Dr. Samuel H. Johnson ’46, ’94 (Hon.)
1969 J. Walt Braxton, Jr. ’63
1970 Dr. Joseph A. Ross ’48
1971 J. Keith Crisco, Sr. ’64
1971 Rev. W. Kirk McNeill ’59
1972 Dr. L. Gordon Clarke ’44
1972 Dr. D. Larry Crumbley ’63
1972 Dr. Maeburn B. Huneycutt ’42
1972 Dr. H. Mitchell Simpson ‘64
1974 Rev. Fred Falls, Jr. ’61
1974 Dr. Franklin D. Martin ’66
1974 Dr. Samuel H. Johnson ’46, ’94 (Hon.)
1976 Joseph R. Kluttz, Jr. ’60
1977 Dr. Thad Woodard ’68
1978 J. Russell Helderman ’27
1979 Dr. Edward B. Tyson ’64
1980 Dr. R. Andrew Murphie ‘66
1982 Frank E. Watson, III ’71
1983 Dr. Juanita Lee Long ’46
1984 Dr. Lee W. Kinard, Jr. ’50
1985 The Honorable Don Maddox ’64
1987 Dr. Richard B. McKenzie ’64, ’01 (Hon.)
1988 M. Jane Williams ’66
1991 Rev. Dr. William K. Quick ’52, ’72 (Hon.)
1992 Dr. Mary Nell Saunders ’70
1993 Dr. Gerry D. Martin ’63
1995 Dr. Wilbur S. Avant, Jr. ’63
1997 Carl M. Hill ’58
1997 Dr. Thad Woodard ’68
1998 Henry E. Farmer, Sr. ’60
1999 Dr. Monteic A. Sizer ’93
2000 Rev. Dr. James B. Long, Jr. ’63, ’93 (Hon.)
2000 Dr. Lawrence J. Wheeler ’65, ’12 (Hon.)
2001 Dr. Joseph D. Armstrong ’82
2002 Herman A. Stone, Sr. ’64
2006 Betty Coates Mar ’69
2006 Thomas M. Grady ’63
2007 Annabeal Waller Lefler ’66
2007 Rev. Cecil E. Donahue ’77
2007 Rev. Julianne Brittain ’77
2008 James G. Griffith, Jr. ’58
2009 Richard W. Thames ’75
2009 E. Jack Ingram, Jr. ’74
2010 April Jones Havlin ’76
2010 Sharon K. Bard ’79
2011 Kevin G. DeSanctis ’74
2011 Harold M. Eagle, Jr. ’63
2011 Mary Earnhardt Eagle ’64
2012 Thomas D. Lewis ’68
2013 Dr. Russell H. Sharples ’75
2013 W. Craig Estep ’83
2013 Dr. Samuel J. Chewning ’08
2014 Albert L. Rose ’63
2014 John K. Boggs ’75
2015 P. Duane Dunston ’97, ’99 MSOM
2015 David B. Miller ’04
2016 George E.J. Singleton ’68
2016 Rev. H. David Melton ’76
2018 Dr. Margaret Earley Whitt ’68
2018 R. Lawrence Monaghan, Jr. ’68
2019 Gary R. Weart ’71
2019 Frank W. Lea, III ’68
2020 Dr. D. Matthew Gianferante ’05
2020 Barry L. Roberson ’80
2020 Dr. David W. Barham ’11
2021 Dr. Reggie L. Hudson ’74
2021 Robert C. Gulledge ’68
2021 Christopher A. Matthews ’12 MSL, ’16 MFT
2022 Robert J. Brietz ‘65
2022 Jimmy D. Molina ’16, ’19 MBA, ’19 MSL