Devotion—on Steroids!
Hugh E. Vandivier ’91
Recipient of The Frank W. Misch Alumni Service Award for devoted service to Wabash College
It is hard to know where to start to pay tribute to the myriad ways you have strengthened your alma mater. Your reach has been vast and your commitment unwavering.
Frank Misch loved this College. Your love for Wabash is equal to Frank’s—but on steroids.
Since 1990, you have served as a Class Agent. And you have been one of the very best ever.
You have served the Indianapolis Association of Wabash Men as its president, constant champion of WABASH Day service projects, and event planner extraordinaire. That the IAWM has a presence on social media is entirely your doing.
Since your graduation you have recruited, coached, encouraged, and celebrated our swimmers and divers, just as you did your own Hall of Fame teammates back in your day.
Even with such presence, you are best known as a brother and staunch supporter of Phi Delta Theta at Wabash.
You recently joined the College’s Advancement Office, putting you right where you belong: at the epicenter of helping advance the College philanthropically and engage its alumni, parents, and friends.
You are a model of unselfish, often-unrecognized service to your alma mater…
— NAWM President Rob Shook ’83, at Homecoming Chapel
“Trailblazer and Pioneer”
Gregory A. Castanias ’87
Recipient of The Clarence A. Jackson Career Service for outstanding contributions to one’s chosen vocation
You have brought great honor to your alma mater through your legal practice in the Washington, DC, office of Jones Day, one of the largest firms in the world. As head of the firm’s federal circuit team, you lead by example, having argued more than 60 federal court cases and several before the Supreme Court of the United States.
You argued a truly landmark case on behalf of Myriad Genetics to obtain a patent victory on synthetic DNA molecules created by scientists in a laboratory—the issue came down to whether you can patent a human gene. The National Law Journal called you a “Trailblazer and Pioneer” in intellectual property law.
The trajectory of your career is testimony to the versatility of your liberal arts education. Few of the justices who heard the Myriad case would guess that you majored in English and ran the College radio station as an undergraduate! You use your skills to make accessible to generalist judges the exceptionally complicated concepts behind the patents so that courts can rule accordingly.
We honor you today for living out the Wabash mission in leading your firm, arguing some of the most important cases of our time, and living out the values you and Jane hold dear.
— NAWM President Rob Shook ’83, at Homecoming Chapel
“Understanding the Gift”
Matthew “Kip” Chase ’03
Recipient of The Jeremy Wright Young Alumnus Service Award for service to Wabash College and outstanding contributions to his community or chosen vocation
Long before your own Commencement, you fully understood the great gift you were given with a Wabash liberal arts education, and you have worked tirelessly since that time to strengthen this College for future generations.
You almost didn’t come to Wabash. Finances at home were tough, and you worked construction to make payments. A series of shocking events midway through your time at Wabash lit a spark, and you quickly became a leader on campus.
Even then, you found time to coach a local middle school basketball team.
Graduating magna cum laude, you began your career in pharmaceutical sales for Lilly but quickly moved up the ladder into areas of strategy and human resources. You and your family only recently returned from a three-year stint for the company in China.
You and Nicole so value the opportunity Wabash provided you that you have established a scholarship in your hometown.
Your star began to rise after a turbulent time in your life. You chose to seize every opportunity presented to you, and to commit fully to each one. You embody so many of the noble characteristics of Jeremy Wright, for whom this award is named, and we are honored to lift you up as the recipient of the Jeremy Robert Wright Young Alumnus Award.
— NAWM President Rob Shook ’83, at Homecoming Chapel