by Karina Brady, Student Public Relations Writer
A chief financial officer, a Disney Imagineer, a charter school creator, the historian at Cedarville University and a generous Iowa couple are this year's alumni honorees, recognized at the Legacy Banquet Friday, Oct. 5, as part of Cedarville University’s annual homecoming activities.
Wesley and Dawn Polsdorfer of Delaware, Ohio, both 1984 graduates, will receive the Alumni of the Year award. Wesley is chief financial officer/chief operating officer of The Romanoff Group, and Dawn provides for her family as a homemaker. The couple’s impact reaches locally and globally, as they serve their church, create endowed scholarships for Cedarville students and sponsor children in developing countries.
Kristen Zeigler is this year’s Young Alumna of the Year. The past four years, Zeigler has worked for Walt Disney Imagineering as a set designer. She is currently helping design the new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge attractions for Walt Disney World and Disneyland parks. Zeigler, a 2014 graduate, left her mark on Cedarville by creating Campus Christmas, the annual campus event that transforms the Stevens Student Center into a holiday winter wonderland.
Tim Ware, a 1988 graduate, will be presented the One Another Mindset Award. Ware is an educator in Memphis, Tennessee, where he founded Veritas College Preparatory Charter School in 2008. He is also commissioner at the Memphis Cook Convention Center, serves on the advisory boards of Teach For America Memphis and New Leaders, Inc., Memphis and sits on the governing board of Lifeline to Success.
Lynn Brock will receive this year’s Distinguished Educator award. Brock, a 1968 graduate, has worked at Cedarville 50 years. He retired from his role as dean of library services in June but continues to serve as university archivist, special collections librarian and curator of the Biblical Heritage Gallery. Brock has been published in “The Christian Librarian” and “Teaching American Literature: a Journal of Theory and Practice.”
Roger and Charlotte Kuriger are this year’s recipients of the Honorary Alumni of the Year award. The Kurigers supported Cedarville financially for more than 50 years. After Roger’s death in 2010, Charlotte established two endowed scholarships. Charlotte, who passed away January 2018, left Cedarville the largest estate gift in university history.
“We have thousands of alumni out there who are influencing their communities for the cause of Christ as well as for Cedarville. It’s important that we do recognize people who are doing that,” said Jeff Beste, executive director of alumni and parent relations. “When we share the stories of our alumni, it inspires and encourages the rest of us to consider how we might also be involved, whether it’s giving back to Cedarville or getting involved in our communities.”
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,193 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.