The Grove City College Alumni Association will honor four notable alumni during Homecoming Weekend, Oct. 6 to 8, 2017 with Jack Kennedy Memorial Alumni Achievement Awards.
The awards are presented annually to alumni who have had distinctive success in their fields. This year’s recipients encompass a variety of fields, including economics, academia, medicine and the military.
Dr. Alejandro “Alex” A. Chafuen ’84 is president of the Atlas Network (also known as Atlas Economic Research Foundation), headquartered in Washington, D.C., which helps to create and nurture free-market think tanks across the globe. A graduate of the Argentine Catholic University, Chafuen studied at Grove City College, and in his doctoral work, under the late Dr. Hans Sennholz. Chafuen received an honorary doctorate from the Universidad Francisco Marroquín in Guatemala.
He wrote his doctoral dissertation on the Christian roots of the free-market economy, later published under the title of “Faith and Liberty,” and it has been translated into Chinese, Polish, Czech, Italian, Slovenian and Spanish. He has been member of the Mont Pelerin Society since 1980 and is the current president of the Philadelphia Society. In 2007 he received the Nassau Institute Freedom Prize, in 2010, the Global Leadership Award from the Leadership Institute US, and in 2014, the Walter Judd Freedom Award from The Fund for American Studies. Chafuen writes a column for Forbes.com on think tanks and intellectual entrepreneurship.
Chafuen is on the governing board of several think tanks, including the Fraser Institute in Canada and the Acton Institute, as well as trustee of Grove City College. Chafuen is on the board of the Chase Foundation of Virginia, and member of the John Templeton Foundation. He is married to Melanie Ann (Bailey’83) Chafuen and they have two sons.
Richard G. Jewell ’67 served as Grove City College’s eighth President from 2003 to 2014. His tenure was marked by an increased focus on fundraising, completion of major campus construction projects, and burnishing the College’s reputation as one of America’s premier Christian liberal arts institutions.
While a student at the College, he was editor-in-chief of the The Collegian; president of the Student Government Association; captain of the swimming team and 1967 Omicron Delta Kappa Senior Man of the Year.
The Bethel Park, Pa., resident was the youngest member of the College’s Board of Trustees when he was elected in 1974 and served as president of the national Grove City College Alumni Association before he was selected as president. He co-chaired the College’s first-ever capital campaign, Change & Commitment, which raised $69 million, and the Grove City Matters campaign, which raised $95 million.
During his watch, the College completed construction of Breen Student Union, Colonial Apartments, Rathburn Hall and STEM Hall and renovated Carnegie Alumni Center and other buildings.
Prior to serving as Grove City College president, Jewell was a Pittsburgh-based director of the Chicago-based Navigant Consulting Inc. He previously held senior administrative positions with the University of Pittsburgh, was general corporate attorney for Harbison-Walker Refractories and a veteran of the U.S. Army.
In 2015 he was appointed to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. Jewell also serves as director of strategic marketing for the Berkeley Research Group, a national consulting firm. He is a guest lecturer in the doctoral program for higher education at PItt.
He and his wife Dayl, a retired PNC Bank executive, have a married daughter, Jessica, and two granddaughters.
Dr. Angelo J. Mariotti ’78 is a dentist, university professor, teacher, researcher and author. As a full professor and chair of periodontology at The Ohio State University, he teaches dental students and residents, conducts original research, authors scientific articles and provides patient care.
Mariotti has received millions of dollars for research and has authored more than 100 articles in professional periodicals. He is an active member and leader in international and national professional associations as well as in his community. He travels the world as a lecturer and guest speaker, organizing seminars and conventions.
Mariotti earned a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology at West Virginia University and a D.D.S. from its School of Dentistry. He matriculated to Virginia Commonwealth University for a residency in periodontology. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology, a Fellow of the International College of Dentists and the Pierre Fauchard Academy and has been listed as one of the Best Dentists in America.
He served on the Grove City College Alumni Council, was inducted into the Soccer Hall of Fame and co-authored a historical book on GCC soccer entitled “Tales from the Pitch.” He and his wife, Bridgette, reside in Columbus, Ohio, and have a daughter and son.
Capt. Ronald E. Yeaw ’65 (ret.) has extensive operational and managerial experience both in the United States military and in private sector professional services and security industries.
A retired U.S. Navy captain within the Naval Special Warfare Community, he served in a variety of highly competitive Navy and joint service operational, command and staff positions from 1965 to 1994. His work included commands of Underwater Demolition Team 21 and SEAL Team Six, the world’s premier maritime counterterrorist force.
Additionally, he served as chief of staff of the Counterterrorist Joint Task Force. He participated in three SEAL combat tours to the Republic of Vietnam. He earned 45 medals and ribbons including the Superior Service Medal and Navy Legion of Merit; five Defense and Navy Meritorious Service medals; and a Purple Heart.
During a later career with Research Planning, Inc. (RPI) in Virginia, Yeaw was a program manager, marketing department director and division vice president of the multi-million dollar company. He concluded his professional career with the G4S Security Corporation in Florida, where he served at the site manager for several upscale residential communities.
He is a graduate of both the National War College and the U.S. Navy Command and Staff War College, earned an M.A. in National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School and attended several specialized training schools.
He is married to Shelley Shipe and has two children. He now lives in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
The Grove City College Alumni Association established the award program in 1964. The awards were later named in honor and memory of longtime Director of Alumni Relations and Career Services Jack Kennedy ’37, who had an indelible impact on the lives and futures of thousands of Grovers. The awardees are selected each spring by a committee of the Alumni Association.