LAKELAND, Fla. (March 17, 2009) — Florida Southern College presented three outstanding alumni with awards recognizing their leadership and service to their professions, their communities, and their alma mater at the Founders Day Convocation on March 13.

Alumni Achievement Awards were presented to Lamar Louise Curry, Class of 1927, a Miami educator who has taught some of our nations most influential citizens, and the Colleges oldest living alumna; and Lisa Kaiser Hickey of Lakeland, Class of 1979, and a 1995 MBA graduate, the president and CEO of Douglass Screen Printers, Inc. The Service to Florida Southern Award will be presented to Robert "Bob" Gordon Black of Sun City Center, Class of 1951, who has worked in and taught journalism and public relations for the College throughout his 68-year career.

Miss Curry received the Alumni Achievement Award for outstanding service to her profession and her community. She taught American history, civics, and government in Miami for more than 35 years, including 32 at her alma mater, Miami High School. She also has been a personal witness to the history of South Florida, as she was born in Key West in 1906 and has lived in Miami for more than 90 of her 102 years. As a teacher, Miss Curry was noted for bringing history to life and for being a strict disciplinarian. Her student rolls are a veritable Who's Who of Miami and include such well-known personalities as former Florida governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham and television star Desi Arnaz. Retired since 1962, Miss Curry remains a beloved figure in South Florida and in 2003 was honored by having a Miami middle school named for her.

Ms. Hickey received the Alumni Achievement Award in recognition of her outstanding entrepreneurship and tireless advocacy for women business owners. Ms. Hickey began her career with Douglass Screen Printers in 1975 as an artist, and she later served as art director, and as vice president and general manager, before assuming her current role in 1996. She is immediate past president of the National Association of Women Business Owners and is the North American regional commissioner for FCEM, a global association for female entrepreneurs. She also serves on the Polk Museum of Art's Executive Committee and Board of Trustees, USF Public Broadcasting Advisory Board, and the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida Board. At the invitation of the White House, she served on a steering committee for the 2003 Women's Entrepreneurial Summit in Tampa. She was a member of The Executive Committee, an international organization of CEOs, for nine years. FSC named her the Outstanding MBA Graduate of 1995-1996.

Mr. Black was recognized for his service to FSC as a marketing and alumni relations consultant. He earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from FSC, where he was editor of The Southern student newspaper and worked in radio. He also holds a masters from Columbia University. His journalism career began during the Korean War, when he worked for his division newspaper. Success there led to a job with Stars & Stripes in Tokyo. After his military service, he became a sports writer for The Associated Press, covering the Olympics and Americas Cup. He has written for more than 100 magazines and was boating editor for Popular Science Magazine. He was public relations manager for Swissair and executive vice president of H.A. Bruno & Associates, Inc. In 1995, he returned to FSC as an adjunct professor in the Department of Communication. Since being elected to the Executive Committee of the National Alumni Board of Directors, he has reinstituted the Sump Thing electronic newsletter for alumni, written for the Southernnews alumni magazine, and assisted with Homecoming, including this years Salute to Veterans.

Also at the Convocation, Dr. G. Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, was honored as Florida Southerns 75th Honorary Chancellor. Florida Southern has awarded the title of Honorary Chancellor, the highest recognition the College bestows on an individual, since 1934.