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DISTASI, PRITCHARD RECEIVE CAMPUS-COMMUNITY AWARDS |
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October 28, 2009
GROVE CITY, Pa. – The Grove City College Florence E. MacKenzie Campus-Community Awards selection committee has chosen two community leaders as the 2009 recipients: Dr. Vincent F. DiStasi ’88, Grove City College vice president-chief information officer, and Lisa L. Pritchard, manager of Olde Town Grove City.
Beginning in 1971 until her death 10 years later, Florence E. MacKenzie faithfully served Grove City College and the community of Grove City. As wife of former president Dr. Charles S. MacKenzie, she sought to establish strong town-gown relationships. An active member of numerous local organizations, she served as president of the former Grove City Hospital’s board.
Campus honoree DiStasi, a member of the Grove City College Class of 1988, serves his alma mater as vice president-chief information officer and also as a professor of chemistry. He joined the staff in 1998 and is responsible for the College’s networking and data administration needs and coordinating the tablet PCs provided to all freshmen. He has helped local agencies by donating computer equipment and support. He also represents the College on the Grove City Area United Way Board of Directors.
DiStasi spends many hours helping the local Boy Scouts; he is a co-den leader for Pack 76, a troop which performs more than 800 hours of community service annually.
At the Church of the Beloved Disciple, DiStasi serves as a lector and as the deputy grand knight in the Knights of Columbus (Council 3658). He also volunteered his time as an advisor for technology as the parish recently completed a new wing on the church building.
On the athletic side, DiStasi has been an active coach with Grove City Youth Soccer, coaching youth in the in-house program (4- to 9-year-olds). When the association was short on qualified coaches, DiStasi earned his U.S. Youth Soccer “E” coaching certification, after which he coached both the under-12 and under-14 travel teams. Said a nominator, “not only has he coached the youth of this community soccer, but more importantly, he has been a shining example to the players of how to be a good person.” DiStasi and his wife, Kathy, live in Grove City with their three children: Andy, Julie and Maria.
Community honoree Pritchard was hired as the first Olde Town Grove City manager in August 2006. Since that time, she has worked to connect Grove City College and its students with the activities and merchants in downtown Grove City. For two recent years, she had Grove City College students partner with downtown businesses at Homecoming to decorate store windows in the Homecoming theme. She also offered many ideas and support for the College’s new downtown bookstore, the Crimson Connection. This included location input and travel to another college community to talk with store owners for advice.
This fall, Pritchard and Olde Town provided refrigerator magnets to the student residents of Colonial Hall Apartments. The magnets list the phone numbers of nearby downtown shops and restaurants. Pritchard also supervises Grove City College interns every semester in the Olde Town office.
Said a nominator, “I know Lisa truly considers Grove City College as an incredible asset to this community and she has gone above and beyond in many other ways to make sure that connection stays strong.”
In her work with Olde Town Grove City, Pritchard has helped direct such projects as the Farmers Market, mural projects, Christmas Extravaganza, Joseph D. Monteleone Youth Festival Park and the Olde Town Gala.
Before moving to Grove City, Pritchard had a career in corporate education and also worked in higher education as an associate professor. She and her husband, Bill, have two children: Kathleen and Morgan. Bill is a native of Grove City.
The two winners will be honored at a ceremony on campus on Nov. 17.
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