The Bellarmine University Alumni Association honored winners of their alumni awards at the annual alumni dinner dance on campus Saturday, Aug. 25. The awards included: Alumnus of the Year, the Rev. Msgr. Alfred F. Horrigan Distinguished Service Award, Scarlet and Silver Society and Gallery of Distinguished Graduates.
Bradford T. Ray is the 2007 "Alumnus of the Year." The award was given in recognition of efforts on behalf of the university. Ray, chief executive officer of the Louisville-headquartered company Steel Technologies, is a 1981 graduate of Bellarmine University. A former inductee into the Gallery of Distinguished Graduates, Ray also serves on the Bellarmine Board of Trustees and is currently the board’s chairman.
The Rev. Msgr. Alfred F. Horrigan Distinguished Service Award is awarded to a past or present Bellarmine employee. This year’s winner was Alma Schuler, a former employee who spent 23 years as Msgr. Horrigan’s administrative assistant while he was Bellarmine’s president.
The Scarlet and Silver Society was established by the Alumni Association in 1983 to recognize alumni whose time and effort on Bellarmine's behalf bring honor and distinction to the university. This year’s inductee was Bob Zimlich, who is vice president for business affairs. Zimlich graduated from Bellarmine in 1981 and joined his alma mater a year later as an assistant for the former vice president, John O. “Jack” Kampschaefer.
Bellarmine also inducted six alumni into its Gallery of Distinguished Graduates: Ryane Conroy, Michael Cowherd, Colette Dumstorf, Cheryl Fugatte, Mike Mackin, and Jeff Wright. The Gallery was established to recognize alumni who have distinguished themselves in professional accomplishment, community service or demonstration of attitudes consistent with Christian doctrines.