Alma College Recognizes Alumni Achievements
Alma College recognized four alumni during Homecoming weekend for contributions to their communities and professions and to the College.
Louis Ferrand ‘64 of Alexandria, Va., received the Alma College Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest honor presented to alumni. The award recognizes alumni who have brought distinction to the College through their professions, have set strong examples for others and have served their communities.
A native of Rockford, Ferrand in 1988 became director of the Office of General Legal Services and General Counsel for the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS). He provides advisory services to OAS officials, is the principal legal advisor in negotiations with Central and South American governments, works with commercial entities, and advises on labor relations matters, corporate contracts and equal opportunity employment.
After graduating from Alma, he started law school at the University of Michigan, left there to serve in the Peace Corps under a Lyle Fellowship he received from Alma, and returned to Michigan after two years to finish his Juris Doctorate degree.
Prior to beginning his career as a lawyer, Ferrand was co-founder and president of the Cornerstone Project in Bedford Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, NY. The program presented college students the opportunity to live and work in the impoverished neighborhood during the summer. He then became director of Manpower Programs in Grand Rapids, an inner-city program designed for job training and recruitment that placed more than 1,000 people per year.
Throughout most of the 1970s and 80s he was a trial attorney for the U.S. Justice Department in the Employment Section of the Civil Rights Division. He successfully tried cases dealing with discrimination in employment on the basis of race. In 1976, he was recruited by the Solicitor General’s Office at the Labor Department as its Counsel for Civil Rights.
Front row from left: Dr. Richard '59 and JoAnne Stocker '60 Heuschle, winners of the George Hebert Lifetime Service Award, and Amy Falvey Carl '82, winner of the Smith Distinguished Service Award. Back row, President Saundra J. Tracy and Louis Ferrand '64, winner of the Alma College Distinguished Alumni Award.
Dr. Richard '59 and JoAnne Stocker '60 Heuschle of Saginaw received the George Hebert Lifetime Service Award. The Heuschles met during a ballroom dancing class at Alma College and have been ardent supporters of the College since graduation. They have served on advisory committees and assisted with numerous fund raising campaigns in addition to donating time and resources. Dr. Heuschele has been a member of the Alma College Board of Trustees since 2000.
Dr. Heuschle, a Saginaw radiologist for 38 years, retired as one of the most heralded physicians in Michigan. He received his medical degree from the University of Michigan and completed his residency at the University of Michigan Hospital. JoAnne was a Saginaw schoolteacher and continued to volunteer in the schools long after their three children graduated.
Since 1961, the Alma College Alumni Association has presented the Hebert Award to alumni for unusual loyalty and service to the College and the association. The award was named in memory of the 1920 alumnus whose love of Alma College and his work on behalf of the institution was an inspiration to all alumni.
Amy Falvey Carl '82 of Marcellus received the Smith Distinguished Service Award, a new award this year presented to an alumnus who has devoted significant time in service to the College.
Carl’s service began while still in College serving three years on the Orientation Committee, four years with the Student-Alumni Association, and three years as an admissions volunteer. She has continued her strong support of the College with membership on the Alumni Board for six years, serving as president from 2000-02. She was a part of the alumni team that established the College’s Smith Alumni House in 1999. Carl helps with alumni networking events, assists in the recruitment of students and helps organize tailgates at football games.
A graduate of Alma with a degree in business administration, Carl is a management consultant for Michael J. Carl & Associates, which includes a law firm and two dentist offices. She is a member of her local theater board and active in local summer festivals.
