Middlebury College honors local citizens for community service Nov. 2

MIDDLEBURY, Vt.?Middlebury College President John M. McCardell Jr. presented Bicentennial Citizens’ Medals honoring seven residents of Addison County at a ceremony and dinner at the Middlebury Inn on the evening of Sunday, Nov. 2. The medal recipients, who were recognized for their contributions to the community, were Dr. Diana Barnard, Patricia Boera, Betty Jo Calhoun, Helen G. Haerle, Henry B. Prickitt, Lawrence E. Volkert and Gregory Wry.

Eric Davis, secretary of the College, said, “The medals were presented to residents of Addison County who have helped strengthen the community, and whose service has been sustained and distinguished. Oftentimes, their efforts have gone unrecognized for many years.”

In November 2000, during the College’s Bicentennial celebration, Middlebury College honored 10 residents of Addison County with the presentation of the first Bicentennial Citizens’ Medals. “We decided to continue the practice since the Bicentennial celebration truly demonstrated that the town and the College share both a history and a future,” said Davis. Nominations for the 2003 citizens’ medals were submitted by members of the College community, and the winners were selected by McCardell and other members of the administration.

A resident of Weybridge, Dr. Diana Barnard has lived in Addison County for nine years. Barnard provides medical services to underserved patients through Middlebury Family Health, where she is a physician in family practice, and Community Health Services of Addison County Open Door Clinic. She serves the Open Door Clinic as both a volunteer and chair of the board of directors, and she is a member of the Porter Hospital Ethics and Palliative Care Committees. Barnard is also a volunteer medical consultant for the Middlebury-based nonprofit Virtual Foundation, an online philanthropy program which supports grassroots initiatives around the world, including health-related projects such as hospitals.

Patricia Boera, who lived in Middlebury from 1977-1990, has been the associate director of career planning at Champlain College since 1990. Director of Middlebury’s Festival on-the-Green for 25 years, Boera served as a longtime volunteer for the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History. For 13 years she also worked as a volunteer for the Middlebury Community Players and the Middlebury Business Association, which she served for many years as its secretary.

A resident of Cornwall, Betty Jo Calhoun is a retired teacher and administrator who has lived in Addison County for 20 years. She has served the Frog Hollow Vermont State Craft Center as both a member of the board of directors and as the organization’s acting director. For nine years, Calhoun was the auditor of the town of Cornwall and a member of the town’s planning commission. She was also the treasurer of several organizations: the capital campaign of the Addison County Humane Society for two years, the Middlebury Volunteer Ambulance Association for nine years, and the Porter Medical Center Auxiliary for six years.

Helen G. Haerle, who lives in Middlebury, has been a resident of Addison County since 1962. A 1973 Middlebury graduate, Haerle worked at Lazarus Department Store from 1974-1984, and owned and operated the store from 1984-1996. She was a founding board member of Addison County Home Health Care and an active member of the Middlebury Business Association from 1984-1996. Haerle has served as a member of numerous other committees and boards, including the board of directors of Middlebury Union High School from 1970-1977, and the Middlebury Planning Commission from 1996 to the present.

Henry B. Prickitt, Middlebury College professor emeritus of English, has lived in Middlebury for 55 years and has supported numerous local organizations as a board member and volunteer. He is a member of the board of the Addison County Community Action Group, the United Way of Addison County, and Hospice Volunteer Services, where he is currently board president as well. An honorary trustee of the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History, Prickitt is also one of the founders of the Middlebury Community Players.

A resident of Middlebury for 58 years, Lawrence E. Volkert works at Shaw’s Supermarket in Middlebury. For 27 years, Volkert was the chairman of the town’s Memorial Day Parade. He is currently the treasurer of the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department, an organization he has served for 19 years. Volkert also serves as treasurer and a member of the board of directors of the Middlebury Community Players.

Owner of Greg’s Meat Market for 22 years, Greg Wry is a resident of East Middlebury who has lived in Addison County for 41 years. A participant in many forms of community outreach, Wry has been a leading volunteer and member of the Middlebury Lions Club for 21 years and of the Middlebury Business Association for four years.

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