Westminster College to Honor Distinguished Alumni at Reception and Dinner Oct. 7

As part of Westminster College’s Homecoming and Reunion Weekend, its Alumni Council will host the annual Alumni Citation Awards reception and dinner Friday, Oct. 7, at 6 p.m. in the Witherspoon Room of the McKelvey Campus Center.

This year’s honorees are Laurel Phythyon, William Rankin, and Janice Twaddle. Jacklyn Gates will receive the Outstanding Young Alumni Award and Chloe Knappenberger will be recognized with the Rising Titan Award.

The Westminster College Alumni Citations were created to recognize alumni who achieved significant accomplishments in their profession or made meaningful contributions to the community or Westminster.  The Outstanding Young Alumni Award recognizes alumni of 15 years or less who are making significant contributions as they build careers and serve their communities or Westminster. The Rising Titan Award honors an up-and-coming student who showcases the ability to be a leading alumnus.

Phythyon is a 1974 graduate who earned an undergraduate degree in elementary education and master’s degree in education. She spent 41 years teaching in the Warren (Ohio) Area School District and other local and regional institutions. An outstanding educator, she has earned numerous recognitions, including Kent State University’s Jennings Scholar Award. She has been an active volunteer on her reunion committees and an avid supporter of Westminster’s Jerb Miller Scholarship program. She and her husband, Paul, live in Warren, Ohio, where she enjoys gardening, reading and exercising.

Rankin, who graduated magna cum laude in 1960 with a degree in economics and business administration, went on to earn a master of business administration degree from Pace University in New York. He is the former vice president of employee resources for Pfizer’s Consumer Health Care Group and was instrumental in establishing its worldwide consumer organization. He served on Westminster’s Board of Trustees, has endowed two scholarships, is the lead donor for the Bill Rankin Golf Center and is a member of the Towering Titan Sports Hall of Fame. He and his wife, Carla, reside in Gibsonia, where he is active in his church.

Twaddle earned her undergraduate degree in English and elementary education in 1974. She has served as the corporate relations manager for the United Way of Allegheny County for the past 22 years, donating innumerable volunteer hours for the partner agencies the organization supports. Her efforts have earned her recognition not only for her volunteerism but also as a member of the Diamond Club for her role in ticket sales for the Pittsburgh Pirates. She has served Westminster’s Alumni Council as a general member and as president. Currently, she serves on the Pittsburgh Regional Alumni Committee and assists during Homecoming.

Gates is a 2004 chemistry graduate earned her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, served a postdoctoral fellowship at Germany’s Technical University of Munich and returned to Berkeley to work in the nuclear laboratory. She was awarded the 2016 Department of Energy Early Career Grant, designed to support development of individual research programs of outstanding scientists early in their careers. She serves as a campus speaker when in the area and strives to connect with Westminster students while at national conferences

Knappenberger is a senior early childhood/special education major who serves as president of Westminster’s Dance Theatre and Sigma Kappa sorority and service chair for the Student Government Association. She is a member of Kappa Delta Pi, Pi Sigma Pi and Mortar Board honor societies; SPARK (Strengthening Positivity and Reinforcing Kindness); Council for Exceptional Children; concert choir; Sweet Trebles a cappella group; and her home church choir. She volunteers at Westminster’s Preschool Lab, New Castle’s Walker House and as a peer mentor. She has earned the Farmerie Elementary Education scholarship, the Clara E. Cockerille scholarship and the McQuiston Outstanding Service Award. Knappenberger is a daughter of Timothy and Lisa Knappenberger of Sarver and a graduate of Knoch High School.

Reservations are required for the reception and dinner.

Contact Linda Wilson in the Alumni Relations office at 724-946-7364 or email lwilson@westminster.edu for additional information or to make reservations.

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