UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS ANNOUNCES CHANCELLOR’S MEDAL RECIPIENTS AND FUND-RAISING VOLUNTEERS OF THE YEAR

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Willard and Pat Walker of Springdale, Ark., have been named by the University of Arkansas as the recipients of the Chancellor’s Medal. Mary Trimble Maier of Hot Springs, Ark., and Reynie Rutledge of Searcy, Ark., have been named as the recipients of the Volunteer of the Year Award. The recipients will be recognized at a ceremony held at this year’s black-tie Towers of Old Main and Chancellor’s Society Dinner on April 7, 2001.

UA Chancellor John A. White said, "We feel it’s important to recognize our alumni and friends who have worked to make a difference in their local communities, and in the University of Arkansas community. This is just a small way to thank these wonderful people for their service to the University, and the State of Arkansas, and to share their contributions with others."

The Chancellor’s Medal is awarded to individuals whose service to higher education and society-at-large has been truly extraordinary.

Willard and Pat Walker have been married for 58 years and have lived in Springdale since 1959. They are active members of the First Christian Church in Springdale. As longtime philanthropists in Arkansas, they have been recognized together for many of their efforts. The Walkers were presented the Distinguished Service Award in 1997 by the Razorback Foundation. They also received the Chancellor’s Award at University of Arkansas Medical Sciences for their strong support of the Arkansas Cancer Research Center.

Willard Walker, retired from Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. since 1972, has been active in the northwest Arkansas community over the years. He has held leadership positions in a number of civic and professional organizations, including the Springdale Chamber of Commerce, the Springdale Public Library and the Salvation Army.

Pat Walker has been honored for her philanthropic work by organizations across the state and recognized as one of Arkansas’ most distinguished women. The Springdale High School Performing Arts Center was named for her in 1996.

Chancellor White said, "The leadership, service and philanthropy of Pat and Willard Walker in Northwest Arkansas and, indeed, throughout the state have been legendary. We are most pleased to honor the Walkers with this very special award."

The Chancellor’s Medal was first awarded in 1993.

The two Volunteers of the Year are Mary Trimble Maier and Reynie Rutledge. This honor is bestowed upon one or two alumni and friends who have shown extraordinary loyalty, service and leadership to the UA campus and its programs.

Maier, a 1949 UA graduate, has been active in a variety of civic and professional activities. She is a Regional Advisor for Arkansas Children’s Hospital, and past president of the McGehee Hospital Auxiliary and Women’s Chamber of Commerce. Her service to the U of A includes membership on the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House Building Committee and the Education Dean’s Development Council. She is also a member of the Chi Omega sorority. She is a member of the National Development Council, she serves on the Steering Committee for the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century and is the chair of the Women in Philanthropy committee.

Rutledge earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering in 1972 and an M.B.A. in 1973 from the University of Arkansas. He is the chairman of First Security Bank in Searcy, Ark. His volunteer service to the U of A includes membership in the Arkansas Academy of Industrial Engineering, National Development Council, and Campaign for the Twenty-First Century Steering Committee.  He also serves as Chairman of the Business Dean’s Executive Advisory Board and Chair of the 2010 Commission, a committee of 92 leaders from business, government, and academe whose charge is to prepare a report that will make the case for benefits that will accrue to Arkansas from building the U of A into a nationally competitive research university.

Chancellor White said, "This is a tribute richly deserved by both Mary Trimble Maier and Reynie Rutledge, and we are honored that they have accepted. Reynie’s leadership on the 2010 Commission, the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century and in the Walton College sets him apart as one of the University’s best friends. Mary’s participation on the Campaign Steering Committee and leadership on the Women in Philanthropy committee make her an ideal candidate for this honor."

The first Outstanding Volunteer of the Year was recognized in 1989.

The recipients will be honored during the Towers of Old Main and Chancellor’s Society Dinner. Membership in the Towers of Old Main group is a singular honor bestowed upon individuals whose cumulative giving or irrevocable commitment to the University of Arkansas has reached or exceeded $100,000. Alumni and friends are invited annually to a black-tie dinner held to induct the new members into the group. The Towers of Old Main was launched in the spring of 2000.

The Chancellor’s Society was initiated in 1989 to create a pool of funds to aid the University in its endeavors to seek private gift support.

Past Chancellor’s Medal recipients include Dan Ferritor, 2000; Helen Robson Walton, 1999; James B. Blair, 1995; and Willard B. Gatewood Jr. in 1993. Some UA Outstanding Volunteers of the Year include H. Lawson Hembree IV, 2000; Charles M. Kittrell, 1999; Charles B. Whiteside III, 1995.

# # #