Waynesburg University honors alumni, donors at annual dinner
Waynesburg University resumed its annual President’s Donor and Scholarship Recognition Dinner after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, presenting awards to distinguished alumni.
William and Mary Porter received the 2022 Golden Key Award, Larry Marshall received the 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award and Haley Hinds Axelbank received the 2022 Young Alumni Leadership Award.
The Golden Key Award is given to alumni or friends of the university dedicated to a lifetime of significant leadership and involvement with the university. The Porters were recognized for being donors, advocates and friends to WU. They sponsor the Ralph “Jake” Porter Memorial Scholarship Fund for students interested in pursuing education and the Margaret “Peg” Porter Endowed Scholarship Fund for young women from Greene County interested in pursuing business.
The Distinguished Alumni Award is presented to a WU alumni for their devotion to the university’s mission. Marshall, special assistant to the president for community relations at Waynesburg University, was recognized this year for his continued devotion to WU as well as the greater Waynesburg community, and for the ways in which he exemplifies the mission of the school.
Marshall has served in key leadership roles within various community organizations over the years, including the Greene County Fair, the Waynesburg-Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Department, Waynesburg Prosperous and Beautiful and the Waynesburg Borough Council.
The Young Alumni Leadership Award, first presented in 2019, goes to an alumnus under the age of 35, for their accomplishments and service, by having distinguished themselves as a leader among their peers and in their profession, community and/or the university. Axelbank was recognized this year for her early success in the field of broadcast journalism and for her community service involvement.
Axelbank has been awarded the Best Individual Achievement Award by the Florida Associated Press Broadcasters, named a runner-up for a Florida AP Award in Breaking News and nominated for a Suncoast Regional EMMY Award in the category of Breaking News.
She is currently an anchor/reporter for FOX 13 News in Tampa, Florida.