Extension's Best

Academic and Teaching Prizes for Presented for Outstanding Character and Dedication to Learning

• Reginald H. Phelps Prize Fund
• Annamae and Allan R. Crite Prize
• Thomas Small Prize
• Dean's Prize
• Santo J. Aurelio Prize
• Derek Bok Public Service Prize
• Judith Wood Memorial Prize
• Commencement Speaker Prize
• Petra T. Shattuck Excellence in Teaching Award
• James E. Conway Excellence in Teaching Writing Award
• Dean's Distinguished Service Award

One of the highlights of the Degree Awarding Ceremony each June is the announcement by Dean Michael Shinagel of the recipients of the three major academic prizes--the Phelps, Crite, and Small Prizes--as well as the Dean's Prize for Outstanding Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) Thesis, the Aurelio Prize, the Bok Prize, and the Wood Prize.

Reginald H. Phelps Prize Fund

The Reginald H. Phelps Prize Fund was established by the late Edgar Grossman, ABE '66, founder and first president of the Harvard Extension Alumni Association, and the first Extension representative to the Associated Harvard Alumni. The prizes honor Dr. Reginald H. Phelps, AB '30, AM '33, PhD '47, director of university extension at Harvard from 1949 to 1975, and are awarded annually on the basis of "academic achievement and character" to outstanding students receiving bachelor's degrees in extension studies.

Mariana San Martín, ALB cum laude, graduated at the top of her class with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. She pursued a field of study in Spanish language and literature and took Spanish literature courses as a special student at Harvard College during the spring term. In addition, she constructed an independent study, titled "The Literature of Illness: Language, Ethics, and Space (1883- 1992)," wherein she explored the portrayal of human disease and bodily suffering in eight Spanish novels. Ms. San Martín plans to apply to a doctoral program in Spanish literature next year.

Jennifer Dawson Ross, ALB cum laude, graduated with a 3.90, the second highest grade point average in her class. Ms. Ross decided to complete her degree after starting a family, and achieved her success while balancing her studies with familial obligations. She completed a field of study in English and American literature and language and plans to work toward a master's degree in education, and eventually teach high school English.

There was a tie for the third place Phelps prize. Christian Manueal Labbée, ALB cum laude, graduated with a GPA of 3.89. Mr. Labbée worked tirelessly to complete his degree with a field of study in economics. Despite his rigorous academic schedule, Mr. Labbée found time to form the Chaitanya Vaishnava Society--a student group concerned with cultivating awareness of Hinduism at the University.

Janice Marie Stevens, ALB cum laude, shared the third Phelps prize. As a registered nurse working for more than 15 years with critically ill patients in a rapidly changing medical arena, Ms. Stevens has dealt with ethical issues on a daily basis. This work inspired her to forge a field of study in ethics at the Harvard Extension School. While pursuing her studies, she was employed at the University as a case manager for faculty and staff. Ms. Stevens now works in the field of clinical research, to which she directly applies her coursework, implementing the clinical trials of investigational drugs and devices. She intends to apply to graduate school after a year hiatus.

Annamae and Allan R. Crite Prize

The Harvard Extension School and the Harvard Extension Alumni Association established the Annamae and Allan R. Crite Prize in honor of the Crite family, whose long association with the Extension School began shortly after its founding, when Annamae Crite started taking courses. Mrs. Crite regularly attended courses for more than 50 years, and encouraged her son to pursue studies at the Extension School. Her son, Allan R. Crite, ABE '68, is widely recognized as the dean of African-American artists in the Greater Boston area. These prizes are awarded to Extension School undergraduate or graduate degree recipients who demonstrate "singular dedication to learning and the arts."

Marcheterre Fluet, ALM recipient in Celtic languages and literatures, received the first Crite Prize. A 1989 graduate of Smith College (AB, Biology), she worked for several years as a research assistant and photographer in tropical plant ecology at the Harvard Forest in Petersham, MA. She is currently a regional planner in the natural resources section of the MDC for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the owner of a photography and graphic design business.

Her thesis represents one of the more remarkable meldings of professional and literary interests. Titled "Trees and Forests in the Literary Landscape of Early Ireland," it examines the representation and significance of trees and forests as features of the landscape: as social and tribal landmarks, as literary settings, and supernatural entities. Her thesis director, Patrick Ford, Margaret Brooks Robinson professor of Celtic languages and literatures, wrote that Ms. Fluet's thesis "is one of the most imaginative pieces of scholarship I have ever encountered. Literary scholars of Celtic and Irish literature tend to look past the trees to the themes and motifs of the literature. Archaeologists . . . in our field tend to focus on the material remains of culture, not on the landscape. So in combining the approaches of at least two discrete disciplines, Marcheterre has managed to give us fresh and original glimpses into early Irish culture and society."

Lauren Bradford O'Malley, ALM in English and American literature and language, received the second Crite prize. A 1990 graduate of Holy Cross (AB, English), she is employed as a technical support engineer. Her thesis, titled "Broken People Breaking Faith: Teacher-Student Relationships and the Erosion of Spirituality in William Blake's Myth," explores Blake's insights into the detrimental effects of various relationships that are based on the teacher-student model--priests and their flocks, parents and children, wives and husbands, nurses and their charges--and how these relationships are a means of discussing the spiritual, social, and intellectual problems that arise when imagination, independent thinking, and questioning are stifled. Her director, Leo Damrosch, Ernest Bernbaum professor of literature, described the work as "a superb thesis, not only exhaustively researched but also deeply and imaginatively thought out. . . . I want to pay tribute especially to [Lauren's] ability to wrestle with the details of Blake's text to bring out less-than-obvious implications, even in much-quoted passages that critics tend to blur. On nearly every page [she] brings something into focus that has impelled me to write comments in the margin of my [Blake] text."

Motoko Shimizu, ALM in history of art and architecture, received the third Crite Prize. A 1992 graduate of the International Christian University in Tokyo (BA, Political Science), she is continuing her art history studies in France. Her thesis, titled "A Japanese in Paris, 1913-1929: Leonard Tsuguharu Foujita and the Problem of Cultural Identity," is a ground-breaking study that examines the vexing question of how to approach the work of a painter with a dual cultural identity. In the case of Foujita, whose painting has been previously labeled as both "Japanese-style" and "Western-style," Ms. Shimizu argues in behalf of a "trans-cultural space" in which Japanese discourses are consciously played against Western ones and vice-versa. Her director, Eugene Wang, assistant professor of history of art and architecture, said of her thesis, "It is a remarkable piece of work. . . . [W]ith an acute critical and historical sensitivity, she brings out the historical irony that it was through the European lens, more specifically, the Parisian lens, that Foujita re-examined his own

cultural heritage and discovered hitherto unexamined and under-appreciated values in it. Ms. Shimizu has therefore successfully avoided the pitfall of reducing such a subject to a mere influence study or a travel story. Instead, she sees clearly the dynamics between the two cultures that in many ways defies simplistic identification of essentialist traits."

Thomas Small Prize

Born in the late nineteenth century in Lithuania, Thomas Small--in whose name the Thomas Small Prize is presented annually--moved to the United States in 1900. By 1918, he had graduated from Boston University with a bachelor's degree. After graduation, he entered the working world and continued working in business until his retirement in 1965. In that same year, he began taking Extension School courses. The culmination of his studies was his graduation in 1983, at age 89, with a master's degree, making him the oldest earned graduate degree recipient ever to graduate from Harvard University. His family and friends honored him by establishing this prize in his name. It is awarded annually on the basis of "academic achievement and character" to outstanding ALM in extension studies degree recipients.

Douglas Stickle, ALM in natural sciences, the recipient of the first Thomas Small prize, graduated with a perfect 4.0 average. Mr. Stickle is an alumnus of Illinois State University and is employed by the United States Air Force. His thesis, "Corticoloys Macrolichens Distribution, Abundance, and Species Diversity on Quercus Rubra in Massachusetts," explores the so-called "edge effects on lichens." From his work it is now possible to support ideas about distributions based on exposure, light availability, drying effects of winds, and physiological differences in species to explain particular patterns of species distribution. His thesis director, Dr. Donald Pfister, Asa Gray professor of systematic botany, lauded the thesis, stating "I have advised several ALM theses . . . Doug's work is at the top of the list. It is satisfying to me to see what is essentially a publishable article."

Kimberly Parke and David Riquier, each with a 3.92 grade point average, tied for the second Thomas Small prize. Kimberly Parke, ALM in literature and creative writing, holds the BA degree from Douglass College ('91) and was employed as assistant director of the Undergraduate Degree Programs at the Harvard Extension School. Her thesis project, titled "Love and Other Natural Disasters: Illusion and Catastrophe in California Literature," was directed by Michel Chaouli, assistant professor of German and comparative literature. He described Ms. Parke's thesis as a collection of "highly accomplished short stories" with California settings, prefaced by a critical essay that explores the literary representation of the natural and social landscapes of California in relation to the creation of personal identity.

David Riquier, ALM in English and American literature and language, is a 1967 graduate of Boston University and works as a marketing consultant at the MIT Media Lab. His thesis, titled "The Symbolic Function of Music Imagery in the Poetry of John Keats," traces images of music throughout the poet's canon and argues that Keats uses them to convey his belief in a special kind of intuitive knowledge that comes to the poet through a process that Riquier terms "influx." According to James Engell, professor of English and comparative literature, who served as the thesis director, the study provides the reader "with a new and solid perspective on a major image cluster in Keats."

Dean's Prize

The Dean's Prize for Outstanding ALM Thesis recognizes the work that embodies the highest level of imaginative scholarship. A prize is awarded in each of the four disciplines of the Extension School's Master's Degree Program.

The Dean's Prize for the outstanding ALM thesis in the behavioral sciences went to Robert E. Kelly for his work titled "A Comparative Morphological Study of the Hominoid Forelimb which Indicates Tripedal Knuckle-Walking in the Proto-hominid." This thesis assesses, on the basis of present-day human anatomical evidence, the possibility for a knuckle-walking precursor to homo sapiens and proposes a tripedal model for locomotion in the protohominid. The thesis director, Professor David Pilbeam, Henry Ford II professor of the social sciences, commented that this "original thesis . . . is a very sound and creditable piece of work. . . ." He goes on to say that "Mr. Kelly . . . has now convinced me that his argument . . . is worth rating as seriously as several other biologically plausible hypotheses currently in the literature." Mr. Kelly received his PhD from the University of Pittsburgh in 1965 and is a retired professor of anatomy now living in Woods Hole, MA.

The Dean's Prize for the outstanding ALM thesis in the natural sciences was awarded to Christine E. Lemire for her work on "Forensic Aspects of Trace Human Blood Evidence." This research documents the exciting capabilities of STR profiling of trace amounts of biological evidence found at some crime scenes. Dr. Fredrick Bieber, associate professor of pathology, directed the work and evaluated it as "an outstanding level of achievement . . . the best thesis that I have directed."

The Dean's Prize for the outstanding ALM thesis in the humanities went to Gary J. Cahill, a 1984 graduate of Utica College of Syracuse University, and a former financial advisor in the Benefits Office at Harvard. His thesis, titled "The Black Critical Response to Erskine Caldwell's Literary Works from 1931 to 1940," is a masterful 422-page study of Caldwell's realistic and courageous depiction of the inhumane conditions experienced daily by the rural poor, especially blacks, throughout the 1930s; and the respect that Caldwell gained from the black community as virtually the only white writer willing to expose in his works the horror of lynchings, racial discrimination, and sharecropping. Cahill's thesis director, Michael Shinagel, senior lecturer on English, stated, ". . . this thesis could well eventuate as a book for publication by a university press. It is a timely and cogent reassessment of a neglected American writer who, in his time, ranked among our most popular and respected novelists and short story writers. This critical study is worthy of a doctoral dissertation."

The Dean's Prize for the outstanding ALM thesis in the social sciences went to Evelyn Gerson, graduate in women's studies. Ms. Gerson's thesis, titled "A Thirst for Complete Freedom: Why Fugitive Slave Ona Judge Staines Never Returned to Her Master, President George Washington," discusses the escape of one of Washington's slaves from the executive mansion in Philadelphia in 1796 and his failed attempts to recover her. Ms. Gerson analyzes Staines' flight to Portsmouth, NH, in the context of the African-American community there and of slavery at the time in New England. The thesis director, Professor John Stilgoe, Robert and Lois Orchard professor in the history of landscape development, wrote that "Ms. Gerson has done a splendid job with a very difficult topic. . . . This thesis exemplifies creative and diligent--at times dogged--research in archives. . . . [T]he thesis makes Ona Judge Staines not only an individual in her own right but someone of growing force of character. . . . [It] is literally a bildungsroman that is not fiction, but rather the tracing of a nonperson's rise to personhood." Ms. Gerson received her BA from the University of New Hampshire in 1990 and plans to continue her graduate studies this fall in the PhD program in history at the University of Virginia.

Santo J. Aurelio Prize

Perhaps the most unusual prize awarded annually at the degree ceremony is the Santo J. Aurelio Prize, named for Santo Joseph Aurelio, ALB '83, ALM '85. Mr. Aurelio received his first two degrees at the Harvard Extension School after age 50 and went on to earn a doctorate and enter a new profession, college teaching, after a career of more than 35 years as an official court reporter for the Massachusetts Superior Court. The prize recognizes academic achievement and character for undergraduate degree recipients older than 50 years of age.

This year's recipient, Shirley Louise Krowitz, graduated at age 68 with the degree she began 23 years ago at Harvard Extension School. Acknowledging in her application essay that, given her age, she was at Erickson's developmental stage of caring and reaching out to others, she believed that before she could mentor others, she first had to acquire knowledge, skills, training, and understanding that only a degree from Harvard would supply.

Derek Bok Public Service Prize

The Derek Bok Public Service Prize honors the commitment of former President Derek Bok to adult continuing education and to effective advocacy of community service activities. It is awarded annually to degree and certificate recipients at the Extension School, who, while pursuing academic studies and professional careers, also give generously of their time and skills to improve the quality of life for others in the larger community. The prizes were established by gifts from the Harvard Extension Alumni Association.

W. Dean Eastman, ALM in government, received this award because of his extensive record of community service. Mr. East-man--a public school teacher in Beverly, MA, for almost 30 years--has been active in numerous school and extracurricular projects and programs designed to end racism, religious bigotry, sexism, and xenophobia, including serving on the Educational Steering Committee of the Massachusetts Civil Liberties Union and working with homeless and immigrant children. In addition, he has been active in community work relating to the history of Beverly and New England--cataloging old public records and preserving colonial gravestones, providing a free video genealogy service for the families of Beverly, and initiating a summer archaeological program for students with physical and learning disabilities.

Judith Wood Memorial Prize

The Judith Wood Memorial Prize--awarded from an income fund established by the family and friends of the late Judith Wood--honors students who take courses at the Extension School while facing the additional challenges of a disability. Judith Wood was born with cystic fibrosis, later developed diabetes, and eventually lost her sight. In spite of her difficulties, she continued to take Extension School courses for as long as she was able to do so. Her courage and fortitude inspired many other students.

Daniel Coulter was this year's recipient of the Judith Wood Memorial Prize. Mr. Coulter, who was diagnosed with AIDS 14 years ago, is a long-term substitute French and Latin teacher at Boston Latin School. Mr. Coulter co-founded and directed a peer-led HIV prevention program whose objective is to implement an interdisciplinary HIV, STD, and teen pregnancy prevention curriculum. Mr. Coulter demonstrates outstanding scholarship, leadership, enterprise, and the very best of the human spirit.

Commencement Speaker Prize

This year the Extension School's Commencement Speaker Prize went to Kimberly Parke, ALM in literature and creative writing. While pursuing her degree, Ms. Parke also served as assistant director of the Undergraduate Degree Programs at the Harvard Extension School. The title of her talk was The Pocket Value of a Liberal Arts Education. She addressed her fellow students at the Extension School Degree Awarding Ceremony.

Teaching Awards Presented to Extension Faculty

Petra T. Shattuck Excellence in Teaching Award

The Petra T. Shattuck Excellence in Teaching Award was established by the Harvard Extension School in memory of Dr. Petra T. Shattuck, a distinguished and dedicated teacher, who died of a cerebral hemorrhage in the spring of 1988. These prizes are awarded annually to honor outstanding teaching in the Extension program, and this year's recipients are George D. Buckley, Robert B. Charles, and Sarolta A. Takács.

George D. Buckley, chairman of science in the Watertown public schools and director of the Marine Ecology Project, began teaching courses on environmental management and ocean environments at the Extension School in 1983. In a course evaluation, a student wrote: "For a long time, college has been hard for me, but now I am starting to understand what it is that I would like to do. This is really exciting for me." Students praise Mr. Buckley's high energy, his enthusiasm, and his dynamism, and they applaud the courses for their extras: the websites, the slide shows, the guest lecturers, and above all, the field trips to Cape Cod. In the words of one student, Mr. Buckley is a "great field tripper."

In her nomination, one student wrote, "For many of us, Robert B. Charles epitomized the best that we hoped to find at Harvard." Mr. Charles, at the time chief counsel for the subcommittee on national security, international affairs, and criminal justice in the United States House of Representatives, joined the Extension School in the fall of 1998, teaching two courses that were, to say the least, timely. In his courses on cyberlaw and on Congressional oversight of the White House, topics of classroom discussion often appeared in headlines the next day. Students praised his unique real-world perspective and his commitment to public service. One concluded: "Bobby Charles was caring, charismatic, brilliant, and a delight to spend two hours with each week."

Starting with Summer School 1995, Sarolta A. Takács, associate professor of the classics at Harvard, has offered a number of courses to continuing education students: classical drama, women in Greece and Rome, beginning Latin, and Roman history. Professor Takács has earned consistently high evaluations and she is praised for all the extras--the slides, the handouts, the outlines, the music--that she brings to her classes. One student wrote, "She is an amazing professor! So passionate and engaged with the subject, she truly brings the subject alive. Had I had the good fortune of hearing her lecture when I was a freshman at Harvard, I'm certain I would have become a classics major."

Carmen S. Bonanno Excellence in Foreign Language Teaching Award

Established in 1990 by the family of Carmen S. Bonanno, who studied a foreign language at Harvard Extension School many years ago, the Carmen S. Bonanno Excellence in Foreign Language Teaching Award recognizes excellence in foreign language instruction. This year's recipient was Johanna Damgaard Liander, senior preceptor in romance languages and literatures, Harvard University. Dr. Liander holds four degrees: the BA in romance languages and literatures from Radcliffe College; the MA in Spanish literature from New York University; and the AM and PhD in romance languages and literatures from Harvard University.

An Extension School instructor since 1990, Dr. Liander has been a pillar in the Spanish program, teaching a total of six courses on Spanish and Latin American literature and film. One of her graduate students, who has taken three of her courses, wrote the following in nominating her for the Bonanno Award: "She encouraged me to work hard because she believed I had the academic talent to pursue the PhD. I applied to five different programs and was accepted to four. Dr. Liander has the ability to inspire, motivate, and support students throughout their academic careers and beyond!"

James E. Conway Excellence in Teaching Writing Award

Grace Dane Mazur was the recipient of the James E. Conway Excellence in Teaching Writing Award, which was established in 1991. As an instructor of the Master's Class in Literature and Creative Writing, she has been central to the ALM Program in literature and creative writing since its inception in 1996. Students consistently praise her for her generosity and insight and for her thorough engagement with their work. As one student put it in a recent course evaluation, "[She] has an amazing ability to see right into the heart of a story--and to express to the writer how to make his or her vision come alive."

Dean's Distinguished Service Award

The Dean's Distinguished Service Award is bestowed occasionally by Dean Michael Shinagel on a distinguished teacher with a long record of service to the Harvard Extension School.

Since the academic year 1980-81, Brendan and Barbara Maher have taught psychology courses at the Extension School. For three years they jointly taught The History of Psychology. Then Mrs. Maher presented this popular and well-received course on her own for 15 years, while Mr. Maher offered a gateway graduate seminar, Introduction to Social Research. In 1999-2000, Mr. and Mrs. Maher were back together again teaching another popular seminar, The History of Psychopathology.

Over the years, the Mahers have supervised 30 ALM theses--a record in the annals of the Extension School. The topics of the theses range from homeless mothers to psychiatric hospitals, from marriage in the military to post-traumatic stress disorder. In the early 1980s, Mr. Maher was also a mainstay of the Administrative Board for the Extension School.

In addition to the Dean's Distinguished Service Award, the Mahers have received the Extension School's outstanding teaching award. In this small way, the school honors the Mahers's dedication to teaching.