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College to Award Alumni Citations Oct. 8

Posted on Friday, October 1, 2010

Westminster College will award Alumni Citations to Fred "Fritz" Evanoff, Stephen Gould, and Dr. John Wilson, and Denny Wolfe will receive the Outstanding Young Alumni Award at the annual Citation Celebration Reception and Dinner Friday, Oct. 8, in the Witherspoon Rooms of the McKelvey Campus Center.

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.

Evanoff, a 1950 graduate who majored in business administration, came to Westminster following his naval service in World War II, where he participated in the landing on Iwo Jima. He achieved a long and successful career as an agent for Connecticut General Life Insurance, earning lifetime membership in the industry's Million Dollar Round Table, an honor recognized internationally as the standard of sales excellence. A past president of Westminster's Alumni Council, the former Titan football player is a strong supporter of the Towering Titan Organization. He established the Peter Evanoff Memorial Scholarship to honor one of his brothers, a Westminster graduate and one of two brothers who was lost in the Pacific conflict. Evanoff and his wife, Francis, live in Erie, where he is a member of Lawrence Park's Shade Tree Commission.

Gould, a 1974 graduate who majored in psychology, earned a master's in student personnel from Bowling Green State University and served as assistant dean of men and associate dean of students at Ripon College in Wisconsin. He established Gould Financial Services in Grove City, where he is actively involved at the East Main Presbyterian Church, the Grove City Area School District's board of directors, the United Way, and served as assistant basketball coach at Grove City High School. His service to others extends beyond his local community as he has coordinated more than a dozen mission trips to areas of the U.S.; participated in international mission trips; and spearheaded the fundraising that enabled World Vision to build 13 wells in Zambia, providing clean water to over 20,000 people.

Wilson, who graduated cum laude with a degree in church music in 1970, went on to earn a master's in sacred music from Union Theological Seminary, a doctor of music art from the American Conservatory of Music, and associate and choirmaster degrees from the American Guild of Organists. He studied with Dr. Ray Ocock and Dr. Clarence Martin at Westminster and, as a student, served as a part-time organist at area churches. He was director of music for Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Ft. Lauderdale, whose 100-member Chancel Choir performed on a weekly international television program. He is currently leading a variety of choirs at The New Presbyterian Church in Pompano Beach, Fla. His musical talents have taken him to many international venues from Italy and Austria to China and the Ukraine and he was instrumental is assisting Dr. Robin Lind in arranging for a Westminster Concert Choir performance at the Coral Ridge church in 2005. Wilson and his wife Lisa, a musician with whom he plays organ/piano duets, live in Ft. Lauderdale.

Wolfe, a 1997 graduate who majored in broadcast communications, was hired as a production assistant at ESPN shortly after graduation. Now a feature producer, he is a three-time National Sports Emmy Award winner with 10 Emmy nominations for his work with SportsCenter, College GameDay, Outside the Lines, Sunday NFL Countdown, and NHL2Night. He mentors new production assistants and associate producers, connects Westminster students with professionals in all areas of sports broadcasting, and assists Westminster's Audio Visual Services with copyright clearance questions. Wolfe and his wife, Janet, and their daughter live in Bristol, Conn.

Contact Mary Cooley James '84, director of alumni relations, at (724) 946-7363 or e-mail mjames@westminster.edu for additional information.

Fred Evanoff
Stephen Gould
Dr. John Wilson
Denny Wolfe