Rachel Philipson/Alumni Affairs and Development
Top: Award winners (from left) Charles Stoppard ’82, BS ’83; Beth Anderson ’80; Nancy Sverdlik ’79; Terri Denison ’84; Ellen Perlmutter ’74; and Linda Jarschauer Johnson ’60, MS ’63.
Meet the 2026 Rhodes Exemplary Alumni Service Award winners
Each year, a small group of devoted Cornellians is recognized with the Frank H.T. Rhodes Exemplary Alumni Service Award. The honor, which goes to long-term volunteers who have dedicated themselves to a variety of Big Red alumni causes, is bestowed on a maximum of six people annually. The award is named for Cornell’s ninth president.
Rhodes—who passed away in 2020 at age 93—was a beloved figure who retained close ties to the University and its alumni long after retiring with the title of president emeritus. Cornell’s leader from 1977–95 (as well as a noted geologist, paleontologist, and Darwin scholar), Rhodes was the longest-serving president in the Ivy League when he stepped down.
The award in his honor was established in 1994—and for numerous years afterward, he and wife Rosa attended the celebration where it was presented.
The 2026 winners include College of Arts and Sciences alumni:
Jason Koski/Cornell University
Following the Cornell Veterans Celebration on Nov. 9 in Statler Hall, Air Force ROTC cadet Marco Martini ’27, far right, and fellow students thanked members of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 377 for their service and donation of a bronze plaque expressing “deep appreciation” to Cornell ROTC’s Tri-Service Brigade. The plaque will be installed in Barton Hall.
Rachel Philipson/Alumni Affairs and Development
Top: Award winners (from left) Charles Stoppard ’82, BS ’83; Beth Anderson ’80; Nancy Sverdlik ’79; Terri Denison ’84; Ellen Perlmutter ’74; and Linda Jarschauer Johnson ’60, MS ’63.
