MAG 2-06.indd - Wayne State College

Winter CommencementHeld December 16Wayne State College winter commencement was held Dec.16,in Rice Auditorium. A total of 193 undergraduate and graduatedegrees were awarded by Dr. Richard J. Collings, president.Michael E. Bousquet of Lincoln, a 1970 Wayne State graduate,received the alumni achievement award. Sarah ElizabethRowse, Norfolk, graduating with a bachelor's degree in LanguageArts Education, gave the invocation. Honor addresses were givenby Katharine Lynn Dowling, graduating summa cum laude, scholarin the major, secondary English education, and Kelly McCormackPeterson O'Connor, graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor'sdegree in political science.Dr. Dwain 'Pete' Petersen '55, Mankato, Minn., led the audience in arousing rendition of the Wayne State College "Alma Mater" to closethe ceremony.Above, prior to commencement MarilynMudge, professor of education and counseling,took a moment to talk with a few studentsawaiting their degrees. From left: MeganWeber, Jen Bensen, Brandon Woltman, MelissaVan Es and Chris Herrig with Mudge.WSC Honors Students GiveCommencement AddressesSumma cum laude graduates Kelly McCormack Peterson O’Connor and KatharineLynn Dowling gave addresses at the December commencement. Peterson, the daughterof Don and Cindy Peterson of Vermillion, S.D., is a Vermillion High School graduate.She is married to Shane O'Connor, a Wayne State alumnus who recently returned froma year-long tour of duty in Iraq. They are parents of a three-year-old son, Ty Matthew.A student athlete, O'Connor was a first-team NSIC All-Conference soccer player andWayne State's 'Inspirational Player of the Year' in 2005. She was named 'FreshmanNewcomer of the Year' in 2001. Graduating with a bachelor's degree in political science,O'Connor plans to attend law school.Dowling is the daughter of Gregory and Darlene Dowling of Randolph. A 2000graduate of Randolph High School, she received a bachelor of science degree, Scholarin the Major, in secondary English education. At Wayne State, Dowling was secretaryof Sigma Tau Delta, English honorary; reporter for Kappa Delta Pi, education honorary;and a member of Phi Theta Kappa. She has participated in the Northeast NebraskaTeacher Academy. Her writing has been published in WSC Hot Papers 2005.Dowling plans to pursue a career in teaching, and hopes to eventually earn master'sand doctoral degrees.Kelly McCormackPeterson O’ConnorKatharine Lynn Dowling4