July 7, 2011—During Commencement exercises on June 11, North Central College honored Dr. Richard Norenberg, College Life Trustee and 1955 alumnus, with the Gael D. Swing Award for Meritorious Service.

Established in tribute to the College’s eighth president Gael D. Swing, the award is a rare honor and recognizes alumni, trustees and friends whose extraordinary service to the College exemplifies the quality and integrity that were hallmarks of Swing’s tenure as president.

North Central College Trustee Maria Wynne, a 1977 alumna of the College, is being honored by the Public Relations Society of America Chicago chapter as Chicago Executive of the Year.

Wynne is CEO of the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana. In announcing the award, the group noted that under Wynne’s leadership the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana has experienced a 1 percent membership increase, defying a national trend of decreased membership for first-year merged Girl Scout councils.

Christian Wiman, editor of Poetry magazine, will deliver the address June 11 at the 146th Commencement ceremony of North Central College, which is celebrating the Sesquicentennial of its founding in 1861.

Honorary degrees will be awarded to Brenda Barnes, former chief executive of Sara Lee Corporation; Roger Hruby, a business leader and entrepreneur; and Myron Wentz, a scientist, entrepreneur, philanthropist and best-selling author. Hruby and Wentz are alumni of North Central College.

North Central College Life Trustee William Abe of Naperville, a 1950 alumnus of the College, was honored by the Council of Independent Colleges with its 2011 Outstanding Service Award during the organization’s annual State Fund Members Conference on May 3.

Abe’s career in financial management and consulting spanned 58 years. He rose to the top of his profession with two of the largest brokerage firms in the country, Gruntal & Company and its merger partner, Stifel, Nicolaus & Company.