At the Annual Gathering of the Alumni Association on June 10 during Reunion, three alumni were honored for their contributions to the college, including Ed O’Neil ’82, who has literally written the book on sustainable and efficient solutions to the problems of global health inequity.
O’Neil received the Benjamin E. Mays Medal, the Alumni Association’s highest award, honoring an alumna or alumnus who has “performed distinguished service to the worldwide community and been deemed a Bates College graduate of outstanding accomplishment.”
Named for the 1920 Bates alumnus, the Mays Medal has been awarded only 16 times since its 1982 establishment.
Edward J. O’Neil Jr. ’82: Benjamin E. Mays Medal
The citation for O’Neil’s award read, in part:
While treating patients in all manner of medical conditions and crises in Nairobi’s Nazareth Hospital, the gears began to turn as Ed conceptualized a guide for other doctors seeking global health opportunities. Awakening Hippocrates and A Practical Guide to Global Health Service are the culmination of more than a decade of Ed’s research and experiences.
Along the way, he also established Omni Med: an organization putting theory into practice as Ed and his colleagues seek solutions to insufficiencies and crises in health and health education across the world.
Ed O’Neill ’82 poses with President Clayton Spencer (left) and Alumni Association President Lisa Romeo ’88 at the Annual Gathering of the Alumni Association during Reunion on June 10. (Rene Roy for Bates College)
Judith A. Marden ’66: Helen A. Papaioanou ’49 Distinguished Alumni Service Award
The citation for Marden’s award read, in part:
She saved her favorite position at Bates for last — director of the Bates–Morse Mountain Conservation Area, which comprises 600 acres of woods, salt marsh, and Maine’s last undeveloped barrier beach. Largely thanks to Judy’s early planning for what has become an iconic example of Bates’ environmental work, it remains one of the most beautiful, unspoiled parts of Maine.
Judy Marden ’66 (center) poses with President Clayton Spencer (left) and Alumni Association President Lisa Romeo ’88 at the Annual Gathering of the Alumni Association during Reunion on June 10. (Rene Roy for Bates College)
Robert E. Cramer ’79, P’13, P’14: Bruce Stangle Award for Distinguished Service to the Bates Community
The citation for Cramer’s award read, in part:
As an executive with RBC Wealth Management and now with Oppenheimer, you have for many years provided Bates graduates who are interested in the world of finance with invaluable advice. Beyond offering wise counsel that has set many young alumni on the path to career success and lives of meaningful work, you have also, in a number of cases, played a direct role in placing Bates graduates at your firms.
Robert Cramer ’79 poses with President Clayton Spencer (left) and Alumni Association President Lisa Romeo ’88 at the Annual Gathering of the Alumni Association during Reunion on June 10. (Rene Roy for Bates College)
