At Alumni Convocation in Swasey Chapel on May 29, six Denison alumni were honored for their achievements, leadership and service. They, along with Denison's president and faculty, walked in procession wearing full academic regalia. Front row, from left: Mary Jane McDonald, Susan Leech Kennedy, Susan McKenzie. Back row, from left: Denison University President Dale Knobel, Susan Ross Steingass, John M. Kimpel, Margaret P. Karns.

Six Denison University distinguished alumni, including two from central Ohio, were honored in Swasey Chapel on Friday, May 29, for their contributions to their professions, their communities and their alma mater. This is the 60th year in which Alumni Citations have been conferred by Denison. The first ceremony was in 1949.

The ceremony took place amid Reunion Weekend festivities on campus May 29 to May 31, during which more than 1,000 alumni, family and friends gathered to celebrate the people and places that have been important in their lives. The classes holding regular reunions this year are 2004, 1999, 1990, 1989, 1988, 1984, 1969, 1965, 1964, 1953, 1959, 1954, 1949, 1945, 1939 and 1934. All alumni were welcome to attend the weekend’s events.

Each of the six Alumni Citation recipients received the highest award bestowed by Denison’s Society of Alumni. It is given to “Denisonians who have achieved recognized leadership among their peers through outstanding contributions and services to the professional, civic, or religious life of the nation or to the advancement of the university.”

The following alumni were awarded citations:

Susan Leech Kennedy of Newark, class of 1959, is a counselor in private practice and spiritual director for the School for Diaconal Ministry for the Diocese of Southern Ohio of the Episcopal Church and has served as a Hospice chaplain. She has been a respected innovator and volunteer in the field of infant advocacy for 30 years and has held leadership positions on a number of local, state and professional councils, committees and boards of directors.

Mary Jane Jagger McDonald of Granville, class of 1959, is vice president emerita of University Resources and Public Affairs at Denison. Over the course of her 26-year career with the college, McDonald served five presidents and was responsible for two highly successful capital fund drives. She has been a dedicated volunteer for a variety of organizations, including the Call-to-College Program in the Newark City Schools. Among the recognition she has received for her leadership and dedication, McDonald was named a Licking County Woman of Achievement in 1996 and received a Park National Bank Difference-Maker Award in 2006.

Susan Ross Steingass of Madison, Wis., class of 1963, is an attorney and director of the University of Wisconsin Law School’s Communication and Advocacy Program. She is a former Dane County circuit judge and president of the State Bar of Wisconsin. She has been named one of the Best Lawyers in America and has been honored by the Legal Association for Women. She chairs the Wisconsin Judicial Selection Committee and was president of the Wisconsin Equal Justice Fund, supporting legal services to the poor.

Susan McKenzie of San Francisco, Calif., class of 1964, is a physician in occupational and environmental medicine. She has treated low-income patients in New Mexico, designed occupational health programs for miners, and developed solutions in the field of workers’ compensation. She joined the Industrial Medical Council in 1992 and was named director in 2002. The Council has extensive physician regulatory and licensing duties, along with mandates to improve the medical care in the California workers’ compensation system.

Margaret Padelford Karns of Dayton, class of 1965, is professor of political science at the University of Dayton. She is an author and has taught at the Johns Hopkins-Nanjing Center; Institute for International Relations, Hanoi; United Nations University, Tokyo; Renmin University, Beijing; Pretoria University, South Africa; and was a Fulbright Lecturer at the University of Sao Paolo, Brazil. She has been president of the Dayton Council on World Affairs and is a national member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

John M. Kimpel of Boston, Mass., class of 1969, is senior vice president (retired) of Fidelity Investments. He is a respected authority on retirement and savings who has helped to inform Congressional committees. His philanthropic activities have focused on providing opportunities and services to those who otherwise wouldn’t have access, including work with the Pension Rights Center and his creation of the John M. Kimpel Fund to provide summer internships in the Mandel Legal Aid Clinic.