’ alexiS walKeR, Ph.d. ’74 a distinguished alumni award for contribution to one s chosen feld was presented posthumously to alexis walker, who died in 2012 of chronic lymphoma at the age of 60.
’ PieRRe PRieStleY ’81 pierre priestley s loyalty and service to his alma mater earned him the distinguished alumni award for contributions to mercyhurst.
“ moritz college of law. after a decade working in corporate tax management, he settled into the niche area of taxation known as like kind exchanges. in 2004 he joined investment property exchange services, inc. (popularly known as ipX Ten-Thirty one) in chicago, where he ” - ’ serves as senior vice president and general counsel. he runs the frms personal property division. pierre studied accounting and political science at mercyhurst, and then graduated from the ohio state university
’ became the frst student to sit on mercyhurst s board of Trustees. she received the carpe diem award at graduation. a home economics and psychology major, alexis went on to earn a master s degree in child development and family ’ as president of mercyhurst student government, then known as the representative union of students, alexis
’ promoted to professor in 1992, she went on to serve as director of osu s program on gerontology; co director of the graduate program in human development and family sciences; Joanne l. petersen chair in gerontology and family studies; and, since 2008, chair of the department of human development and family sciences. - life from purdue university and a doctorate in human development and family studies from penn state in 1979. after teaching for several years at the university of oklahoma, she joined the faculty of oregon state university in 1984. alexis was a gifted teacher and mentor of undergraduate and graduate students and a talented researcher of family relationships. active in the national council on family relations, she served as its president, edited the leading family studies journal and co-founded the section on feminism and family studies. she also published 44 scholarly articles in peer-reviewed journals, edited a book, and contributed 18 chapters to books edited by others. “ bob was the last student to complete the cadet Teaching program at mercyhurst and through his early teaching jobs discovered the special rewards of working with at risk children. ” ’ for the past eight years, he s taught for the erie city school district, frst providing support for children with learning diferences at wayne school, and now teaching special education math and english at east high school. he s been a mentor and role model to his students, from coaching sports to directing the champs after-school enrichment program. ’ BoB MeRSKi ’99 mercyhurst honored bob merski with the distinguished alumni award for service to his community, recognizing his work as a special education teacher, a neighborhood organizer, an erie city councilman and more. a lifelong democrat, bob became active in local politics during the 2008 presidential campaign. he ran for ofce himself in 2011, becoming the youngest person ever to win a seat on erie city council.
“ pierre has remained frmly allied with mercyhurst, regularly attending homecoming, serving as a class agent, returning to lecture during alumni on campus events, and representing the hurst wherever he could. ” ’ he joined the board of the alumni association in 1994-95, beginning a commitment that would last until 2011. he served as the associations president from 1996 to 2002, making numerous trips to erie every year for meetings of the association board and the college s board of Trustees. ’ a certifed exchange specialist, he also earned an mba from the university of chicago in fnance and business policy in 1993. as an alumni leader, he worked to ensure that all alumni remained connected, encouraged diversity on the board and reached out to younger alumni through social media. pierre also serves as chair of the executive board for phi alpha delta, a legal fraternity and service organization.
’ a frm believer that we can improve our city one neighborhood at a time, bob co-founded the south east hills neighborhood watch group in 2007 and helped create the south east erie farmer s market to promote local farm goods in erie. . he meets regularly with other residents of his neighborhood near the mercyhurst campus. bob, who is completing a master s degree in educational development and strategies at wilkes university, is engaged to marry fellow laker emily mosco, a 2004 graduate of mercyhurst. ’
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