Distinguished Alumni Achievement Awards
Sarah Palin - 2008
Jason Bay - 2005
Robert Howard - 2004
Jack Lemley - 2003
Duane Hagadone - 2002
Gladys Buroker - 2001
Alumni of the Year Awards
Tom Daugherty - 2009
Jon Parson - 2008
Mikki Stevens - 2007
Dick Compton - 2006
Elizabeth Beechler - 2005
Wally Adams - 2004
Josephine Webb - 2003
Warren Keating - 2002
Frank Darlington - 2001
Hugh Smith - 2000
Doug Bell - 1999
Jack Lemley - 1998
Sadie Brooten - 1997
Honorary Alumnus Awards
Don Sausser - 2009
Sheila Wood - 2008
Edie McCormick - 2007
Ace Walden - 2006
Beth Paragamian - 2005
Rolly Williams - 2004
Tony Stewart - 2003
Steven W. Schenk - 2002
Betty McLain - 2001
Bill Rutherford - 2000
NIC Alumni Association honors outstanding alumni
The North Idaho College Alumni Association recently named this year’s outstanding alumni award recipients.
Alumni of the Year Award
Alumnus Tom Daugherty was chosen to receive the 2009 Alumni of the Year Award for his continued commitment to both the college and the local community.
Daugherty graduated from NIC in 1980, but was most active with the institution years later as a member of the NIC Alumni Association Board of Directors from 1999 to 2008. He helped support many of the association’s initiatives during that time, including the annual fund-raiser, the Wild Game Feast. Daugherty is also a member of the NIC Booster Club and a supporter of Cardinal athletics.
Daugherty also holds a bachelor’s degree in management from Lewis-Clark State College. He is currently president of Blue Water Technologies, a provider of water treatment technology based in Hayden, which partners with the Idaho Idea Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program to provide research internships to NIC students.
“Daugherty has been a champion of the NIC Alumni Association for many, many years,” said NIC Alumni Relations Coordinator Sara Fladeland. “But he also contributes to the success of current students through his partnership with the INBRE program.”
Honorary Alumnus of the Year Award
Don Sausser was selected as the recipient of the 2009 Honorary Alumnus of the Year Award for his years of service to NIC.
Sausser has believed in the mission of a community college since his sons enrolled in the 1980s.
“Having attended a community college and spending more than 35 years ‘hanging’ around NIC, I can’t say enough about the community college mission,” Sausser said. “I have seen the many successes from those who may have gone a different direction without the individual care received at NIC.”
Sausser served a term in the mid-1980s on the NIC Board of Trustees during President Barry Schuler’s term, and Sausser and his wife Sue have supported the NIC Foundation over the years.
Sausser has also been a member of the NIC Booster Club for 37 years. He was president of the club for one term and was named Booster Club Member of the Year in 2004-2005.
Sausser’s volunteerism at NIC has spanned decades and continues today. He has served on various committees and commissions. The Saussers host athletes in their home each year and he has even transported vans of athletes, band members and cheerleaders to away games. He regularly takes pictures and records and produces video of college and athletics events to share with college officials and students.
“Don is well-known on campus and within the community,” Fladeland said. “Go to just about any college event and you’ll see him there with his camera. His dedication to the college is tireless and we’re so grateful to have him as a supporter. He is most deserving of this award.”
The award recipients were honored during the 2009 Coeur d’Alene Fourth of July Parade and will be recognized at the NIC Foundation Scholarship Celebration scheduled for Nov. 17 at NIC.