Area residents are among Bates grads
Twenty area residents received bachelor’s degrees during Bates College’s 131st commencement exercises on Monday (May 26) in an outdoor ceremony on the main quadrangle. Oscar Arias, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning former president of Costa Rica, delivered the commencement address to an audience of some 3,000.
AUBURN
Frederick W. Brown III earned a bachelor of arts degree in sociology. A dean’s list student, he is a graduate of St. Dominic Regional High School and the son of Frederick W. Brown II, of 8 Vine St., and Susan Brown Kluge of Casco.
AUGUSTA
Seth Vern Fairbanks earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science. A dean’s list student, he spent his junior year abroad in Ireland. He is a graduate of Cony High School and the son of Philip and Joan Fairbanks, of 111 Bridge St.
CARRABASSETT VALLEY
Lucy Fowler, formerly of Cape Elizabeth, grauduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in history with honors. She received the Charles Sumner Libby (class of 1876) Award as the senior who has shown outstanding service to the debate program at Bates, and the Henry W. and Raymond S. Oakes Fellowship, as the best qualified senior who intends to continue education in the study of law. She was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society; earned dean’s list status in each of her semesters at Bates; received the Irving Cushing Phillips Award; and was named a Dana Scholar. A member of the Brooks Quimby Debate Council, she won the University of Chicago and Wesleyan Parliamentary debate tournaments in 1996 and was named top speaker at the National Novice Parliamentary Debate Championship in 1993. A graduate of Cape Elizabeth High School, she is the daughter of Nancy and Donald A. Fowler Jr.
EAST HIRAM
Thomas Scott Hammond graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of science degree in economics. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society; earned dean’s list status every semester at Bates; played football from 1993-95 and spent a junior semester abroad in New Zealand. He is a graduate of Fryeburg Academy and the son of Deborah and Thomas S. Hammond, Sebago Road.
JAY
Brent Michael Bilodeau graduated cum laude with a bachelor of science degree in psychology. A dean’s list student in each of his semesters at Bates, he is a graduate of Jay High School and the son of Michael and Barbara Bilodeau of Barb Ridge Road.
Rhonda Marie Crosson graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of science degree in biological chemistry. A dean’s list student for her entire Bates career, she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society, and Sigma Xi, a North American honor society founded in 1886 for excellence in scientific research. She conducted research with Thomas Wenzel, the Dana Professor of Chemistry at Bates, at Dartmouth College and worked on organic synthesis for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. A member of the women’s rugby squad her junior year, she is a graduate of Jay High School and the daughter of Michael and Theresa Crosson, of Pine Knoll Circle.
LEEDS
Janice Dawn Dion received a bachelor of arts degree in sociology. A dean’s list student, she is a graduate of Dirigo High School and the daughter of Ellamae and Arthur Weston Dion.
LEWISTON
Dawn Anne Bilodeau received a bachelor of artrs degree cum laude in sociology. She was named the Bates College Student Employee of the Year and the Maine State Student Employee of the Year. A recipient of the College Key, awarded on the basis of academic standing, character, campus and community service, leadership and future promise, she also received the R.A.F. McDonald Graduate Fellowship for graduate study in education. She has been a member of the women’s swimming and diving team for the past four years and the manager of the men’s soccer team for two seasons. In her junior year, she was named to the All-Academic NESCAC team and selected as an All-American by the National Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association. She participated in a Ladd Internship with the Mid-Coast Chapter of the American Red Cross during the summer of 1995 and was elected the class junior marshall 1996 commencement ceremonies. She was head lifeguard at Bates for her third consecutive year, and during her senior year she was a student teacher at Lewiston High School, working toward a secondary-school teacher certification in social studies. A 1993 graduate of Lewiston High School, she is the daughter of Claire and Lawrence Bilodeau, 27 Gina St.
Lisa Ann Cummings received a bachelor of arts degree in mathematics. A dean’s list student, she participated in the 1993 fall semester program in Ecuador and spent a junior semester abroad in Hungary. She is a graduate of Philips Exeter Academy and the daughter of Pennie and Paul H. Cummings, 52 Robinson Gardens.
Laurel Catherine Sybil Denman received a bachelor of arts degree in English. A dean’s list student, she spent a fall semester in Germany during her junior year and served as treasurer of Amnesty International from 1994-95. A graduate of Ecole d’ Humanité, she is the daughter of Jean and Paul Michael Denman.
Jennifer L. Johnson received a bachelor of arts degree magna cum laude in English with honors. She was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society; received the College Key, awarded on the basis of academic standing, character, campus and community service, leadership and future promise; and garnered the William H. Dunham Sr. Literary Award for excellence in the study of English and American literature. A dean’s list student throughout her academic career, she completed a student-teaching program while finishing her senior thesis, participated in Service-Learning projects during her junior and senior years, and worked with the women’s action coalition and the film board. The daughter of Diane Dehetre-Johnson and Wayne A. Johnson, 16 Mitchell St., she is a graduate of Lewiston High School.
Jennifer Elisabeth MacArthur, formerly of Sterling, Kan., graduated cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in history. A dean’s list student, she spent the fall of 1994 in Germany and a junior semester abroad in Sweden. She is a graduate of Philips Academy in Andover and the daughter of Susan and Steven Douglas MacArthur15 Ware St.
MONMOUTH
Adam Minor Smith received a bachelor of arts degree in classical and medieval studies. A member of the Outing Club and the Hickories, he spent the fall of 1993 in Spain and a junior semester in Greece. A dean’s list student, he is a graduate of Monmouth Academy and the son of Ruth Ann and Jeffrey Smith, 155 Pease Hill Road.
NORWAY
Adam Saunders Chadbourne received a bachelor of arts degree in psychology. A dean’s list student, he was a member of the alpine ski team. He is a graduate of Oxford Hills High School and the son of Nancy Hohmann, and Thomas Chadbourne of Waterford.
PERU
Coreen Eugenie Dorr received a bachelor of arts degree in psychology. A graduate of Mountain Valley High School in Rumford, she is the daughter of Nancy and Warren Dorr.
RANGELEY
Jonathan Charles Adkins received a bachelor of science degree in biology. A member of the alpine ski team, he is a graduate of Rangeley Lakes Regional High School and the son of Priscilla St. Louis of Star Route, and Charles Adkins of Errol, N.H.
TOPSHAM
Kathleen Louise Swinbourne received a bachelor of arts degree in women’s studies. A member of the women’s soccer team from 1993-94 and the women’s outdoor track team in 1995, she spent a junior semester abroad in Ecuador. A dean’s list student, she participated in the Career Development Internship Program by working for Healthscope United in 1996 and received a Ladd internship in summer 1996. She is a graduate of Mount Ararat School and the daughter of Nancy Ellen and Clare John Swinbourne, 29 Barrows Drive.
WATERFORD
Meghan Janel Sawyer received a bachelor of science degree in psychology with honors. She was elected to Sigma Xi, a North American honor society founded in 1886 to reward excellence in scientific research, and received the Abigail Smith Award for contributing the most to dormitory spirit. A dean’s list student, she conducted summer research with Cheryl McCormick, assistant professor of psychology at Bates, and was a member of the women’s ice hockey team from 1995-96. She spent a 1993 fall semester in Ecuador. A graduate of Oxford Hills Senior High School, she is the daughter of Jill and Timothy Sawyer, Plummer Hill.
WILTON
Heather Marie Russo received a bachelor of arts degree in psychology. She performed in a string quartet for the 1996 Bates Founders Day Convocation at which world-famous cellist Mstislav Rostropovich received an honorary degree. A graduate of Mount Blue High School, she is the daughter of Marjorie and William Russo.
WINTHROP
RJ Jeffrey Ralph Arthur Jenkins received a bachelor of arts degree in art. A dean’s list student, he was a member of the men’s basketball team. He is a graduate of Winthrop Senior High School and the son of Melody and Brian Jenkins of Old Lewiston Road.
