Baldwin-Wallace College honored outstanding multicultural students during the 2012 Obie Bender Awards ceremony on April 26.

The annual awards are named for Dr. Obie Bender ’62, who was an officer of the college for 36 years. Throughout his tenure, Bender provided exceptional leadership as a college administrative liaison and was responsible for inter-collegiate athletics, campus security and the Health and Physical Education and Recreation facilities.

The following students received awards this year:

·      Outstanding First-Year student – Mylonne Sullivan ‘15 from Solon

·      Outstanding Sophomore – Le’Anna Miller ‘14 fromCleveland

·      Outstanding Junior – Jason Hairston ‘13 fromBerea

·      Outstanding Senior – Alechia Bryant ’12 fromCleveland

·      Community Service –  Deant’e Lavender  ’12 fromCleveland

·      Jacket Link/Mentoring – Tiana Lackey  ’12 fromCleveland

·      Global Citizen – Gina Mason ’12 fromCleveland

·      Outstanding Student Organization of the Year – Black Student Alliance (Zania Kennedy ‘14, President, from Fairlawn; Alana Garrett-Ferguson ‘15, Vice President, from Cleveland; Nyla Watson ‘13, Director of Publicity, from Bedford Heights; Le’Anna Miller ‘14, Director of Programming, from Cleveland; Cierra Norris ‘13, Treasurer, from Brook Park; Raven Bailey ‘12, Secretary, from Euclid; and Ken Atchinson, Advisor)

·      Faculty/Administrator Award: B-W President Richard Durst

Bender, who continues his association with athletics as the player program consultant for the Cleveland Browns and as a member of the board of directors of the PGA, attended the awards ceremony with his wife, Betty.

Bender also developed the educational component of the Renee Powell PGA Youth GolfCadre Program, which was the model for the PGA’s First Tee youth program.

Baldwin-WallaceCollege, founded in 1845, was one of the first colleges to admit students without regard to race or gender. An independent, coeducational college of 4,500 students, B-W offers coursework in the liberal arts tradition in more than 50 academic areas. Located in Berea, 12 miles from downtown Cleveland, B-W offers students the cultural, educational and business advantages of a major metropolitan area.