Nominate an Outstanding Mount Mary Alum

Nominations are open throughout the year and may come from anyone who is aware of the nominee’s accomplishments. Completed nominations remain in consideration for three years with annual updates from the nominator. After which time, the nominee may be re-nominated for another three-year cycle.

Awards are conferred at the Awards Celebration. Acceptance of the award requires attendance of the ceremony in person or via live or recorded video/chat. The recipients may appoint a representative to accept the award on their behalf.

Please contact the Office of Alumnae Relations at mmu-alumnae@mtmary.edu or (414) 930-3025 for more information on the nomination process.

About the Awards

The Madonna Medal represents the highest honor bestowed upon a graduate by Mount Mary University and the Alumnae Association. Awards are given to highlight a graduate’s long-standing commitment in one of three areas:

Professional Excellence
Community Service
Service to the University or the Alumnae Association.

This is evidenced by outstanding and unique accomplishments that separate them from their colleagues. Their nomination demonstrates the ways in which their lives and/or career reflect the Mount Mary values of competence, community, compassion, and commitment.

A Madonna Medal recipient may be given no more than one award in each category. Final award categories are determined by the Awards Committee.

The Tower Award recognizes the accomplishments of up to two graduates within the first fifteen years of their graduations. The award honors a graduate whose unique accomplishments have distinguished them from their colleagues. Nominees have demonstrated excellence in their work or volunteerism and show great potential for future growth. Their nomination demonstrates ways in which their lives and/or career reflect the Mount Mary values of competence, community, compassion, and commitment.

Mount Mary's Core Values

Competence – a commitment to excellence that is reflected in the person’s professional expertise as evidenced through personal conduct, work progress, policies or services
Community – a shared sense of purpose reflected in a welcoming attitude toward diverse populations, evidenced by service to others, good listening skills, and a devotion to the goals of the group
Compassion – an overt expression of concern, empathy, and purposeful action that results in advocacy, respect and/or service for others
Commitment – a deliberate, persistent approach to advancing human dignity by encouraging personal development, professional standards based on vision, mission, and values

Awards Criteria

Nominations are scored using the criteria within the selected award category, based on the amount of evidence or documentation provided. The following chart outlines the criteria within each of the four award categories along with its corresponding weight.

Awards Nomination Form

A completed nomination form and a letter of recommendation are required from the nominator. Supporting materials are strongly encouraged. Please return the completed nomination form with a letter of recommendation and any supporting materials by September 30, 2021 for consideration for the 2022 Awards Celebration. The form and supporting materials can be mailed to Mount Mary University Office of Alumnae Relations, 2900 N Menomonee River Pkwy, Milwaukee, WI 53222 or emailed to mmu-alumnae@mtmary.edu.

Print the Nomination Form

Past Award Recipients

Madonna Medal for Professional Excellence

1960 • Beverly Butler Olsen '54

1963 • Margaret Lukaszewski '46

1964 • Mary Baldwin '44, SSND

1964 • Gladys Vaudreuil Bramblett '31

1964 • Joan Berry Ledebur '52

1965 • Magna Werra Schley '35

1966 • Sue Roth '44, SSND

1967 • Margaret Derksen Zummo '50

1968 • Vivian Kawatzky '51

1969 • Colleen Garvey '48

1970 • Marilyn Hennessy '54

1971 • Margaret Walter '37

1972 • Ann Bunch Shubert '38

1973 • Ann Fritsch '48

1974 • Monica Moehring Diebold '41

1975 • Rosemary Trettin '45

1976 • Mary Jane Hayes '60

1977 • Muriel Byrnes '47

1978 • Virginia Altenhofen Klecka '41

1979 • Patricia McNamara '51

1980 • M. Remy Revor '46, SSND

1980 • Mary Hester Valentine '37, SSND

1981 • Lois Lundell Grote '31

1982 • Anne Miotke '65

1983 • Mary Ann Konsin '58

1984 • Natel Kypriotou Matschulat-Gouletas '67

1984 • Diana Woo '63

1985 • Jane De Chantal McCarthy '35

1986 • Arlene Jung Finocchiaro '65

1987 • A. Helen Hutter '37

1988 • Margaret Finnegan Mirenda '47

1989 • Barbara Wheatley Gothard '59

1990 • Mary Staudenmaier '60

1991 • Jean Griesheimer '46

1992 • Donna Ricco '81

1993 • Mary Otterson '79

1994 • Felicia Dabbert Demass '59

1994 • Christine Szczech Moser '74

1995 • Lois Scherer '45

1996 • Germaine Neis Fischer '35

1996 • Nancy Papineau Jacobson '68

1997 • Mary Fulop Nowakowski '74

1998 • Lorraine Marquardt Kraus '43

1999 • Catherine Riedl Ellenbecker '73

1999 • Catharine Malloy '79

2000 • Betty Zintek Azpell '62

2000 • M. Anne Maloney Heaney '80

2001 • Olga Valcourt-Schwartz '56

2002 • Virginia Cornyn '62

2003 • Susie Utiger Nostrant Watson '75

2004 • Stella Barba '54

2004 • Rosemary Reuille Irons '68

2005 • Jo Anna Woo Allen '65

2005 • Robin Langkamp Henken '82

2006 • Mary Dohr Uhrina '81

2006 • Christine Rowe Wunderlin '91

2007 • Debra Hintz '77

2008 • Susan Burns Nelson '75, '93

2010 • Marita (Mic) Makurat Pietrykowski '70

2011 • Barbara (Barb) Tylenda Horack '74

2011 • Kathleen Daley Murphy '63

2012 • Ann Bonness Angel '75

2012 • Mary Sladky Gramins '62

2012 • Marie Smith O'Brien '08

2013 • Linda Steele Barrington '69

2013 • Jana Janesko Champion '84

2013 • Edna Lonergan '75, OSF

2014 • Suzanne Hele Carlton '64

2014 • Carol Zintek Cinclair '64

2015 • Julie Alexander '81

2016 • Gwenn Balling Rausch '72

2018 • Janet Weiler Powell '60

2019 • Shari Belsha Bernard '89

2019 • Madeleine Krebs '66

Madonna Medal for Community Service

1961 • Jane Sullivan Craig '34

1962 • Agnes Neugent Eberle '37

1963 • Marian McGillivray Fox '40

1964 • Beatrice Menne Haggerty '35

1964 • Margaret Lamb McDonald '44

1965 • Kathleen Joyce Ader '35

1966 • Frances Elkerton Burns '33

1967 • Stella Kleffman '41

1968 • Elizabeth Ford '54

1969 • Mary Hanschmann Philipp '46

1970 • Marlene Bottino Richardson '58

1971 • Margaret Balik '25

1972 • Rose Beltemacchi '40

1973 • Louise Strupeck Burke '62

1974 • Ruth Maiers Sullivan '48

1975 • Dolores Sampon Peel '40

1976 • Jean Lally Christman '44

1977 • Lucy Beck '62

1978 • Jeanne Hall Dorschel '47

1979 • Jolie Siebold Zimmer '67

1980 • Jeanne Bitkers '65

1981 • Evelyn Blaska Owens '31

1982 • Patricia Sheridan Spoerl '51

1983 • Agatha (Anne) Doyle Meyer '53

1985 • Gaetanina Balistreri '44

1986 • Grace Maurer Hicken '76

1987 • Irene Schimmels Blau '83

1988 • Edith Bumbalo Garwood '60

1989 • A Patricia Dempsey Miller '64

1990 • Katherine Sheridan '67

1991 • Sharon (Sherry) Power '69

1992 • Sandi Cornelius '73

1993 • Sophie Pluta Thom '43

1994 • Susan Just '78

1995 • Mary Rose Gentile '35, SSND

1997 • Susan Hopkins Stockton '90

1998 • Mary Catherine Neugent '38

1999 • Margaret Martin Lindl '43

2000 • Kathleen Bayer Schneider '68

2001 • Kathryn Murphy Burke '65

2002 • Valeria Spinner-Banks '94

2003 • Maripat Young Dalum '63

2004 • Sandra Shiely '64

2006 • Linda Starr Kons '75

2007 • Julianne Suelzer Hipskind '57

2008 • Mary Rademacher Rose '63

2009 • Barbara Heimsch '98

2010 • Mary Moran Moze '68

2011 •Carol Steiner Pluta '61

2013 • Winifred Gardner Ligda '63

2014 • Safia Chaudhry Awan '85

2015 • Mary Stermer Park '70

2016 • Therese Durkin Connors '71

2018 • Mary Greisch Monday '89

2018 • Roberta Hankes Olshansky '63

2019 • Tanya Gross '91

Madonna Medal for Service to the Association

1960 • Phyllis Makowski Scharner '51

1961 • Beatrice Nier Linzmeyer '32

1962 • M. Canisia Cahalan, SSND

1963 • Mary John Schuh '33, SSND

1964 • Doris Braun '38

1965 • Ada Kelly Dehnert '33

1966 • Ruth Loeffler '33

1967 • Harriet Kroner Werra '25

1968 • Jeanne McCormick Taggett '45

1969 • Ruth Brilty McKenzie '58

1970 • Jane Conarchy O'Brien '40

1971 • Margaret McNamara Egan '58

1972 • Mary Chrys Diebels '26, SSND

1973 • Anne Salamun Huff '42

1974 • Rosemary Molzahn Fischer '50

1975 • Sue Moser Holke '64

1976 • Margaret Schumy Johnston '60

1977 • Mary Verfurth '59

1978 • Carla La Valle Olle '64

1979 • Kaye Rusco Martin '64

1980 • Carolyn Meitz Megal '61

1981 • Dolores Wall Austin '54

1982 • Barbara Dohr Muth '62

1983 • Jane Daleiden Grubnich '67

1983 • Joan Stephenson '53

1984 • Elizabeth Rohr McGinn '43

1985 • Marlene Morouse Aune '65

1986 • Laura Empey Nesemann '60

1987 • Marjorie Wilbur '71

1988 • Mary John Van Vonderen, SSND

1989 • Marilyn Schulteis Wagner '63

1990 • Mary Haberman '65

1991 • Patricia Palmer Benway '63

1992 • Irene Riley Brown '59

1993 • Audrey Heine '41

1996 • Georgeann Krzyzanowski '66, SSND

1997 • Virginia Schuldenberg '57

1998 • Julia Miller '77

2000 • Carol Schaech Mickowski '43

2001 • Janice Essmann Weinfurt '71

2002 • Susan Wille '91

2005 • Kathleen Bloechl '80

2007 • Rita Hansen Plummer '48

2008 • Mary Bauer Kallenbach '63

2008 • Nancy McConnell Sullivan '63

2009 • Barbara Haase '75

2009 • Isabel Maria Piana '69 , '93

2014 • Mary Schwister Bock '64

2016 • Karen Muth '87

2016 • Kathryn Maegli-Davis '71

2019 • Mary Ellen Luxem '68

Special Madonna Medals

1971 • Jaqueline Buckley '51, SSND

1976 • Rev. Msgr. Sylvester Peters

1978 • Maris Stella Shea '58, SSND

1979 • Mary Nora Barber '52, SSND

1987 • Ellen Lorenz '58, SSND

1989 • Colleen Jacobson '49

1990 • Mary Maynard Rhodes '49, SSND

1991 • Mary Isaac Jogues Rousseau '47, SSND

1993 • Aloyse Hessburg '53, SSND

2005 • Patricia Drogos O'Donoghue

2015 • Patricia Obremski '63, SSND

2016 • Eileen Schwalbach

Tower Award

2012 • Maria Kirschling Guilbert '02

2012 • Tina Raasch Prost '99

2013 • Jacqueline Lichter '05

2014 • Nadine McDowell '04

2015 • Jennifer Treptow Montalvo '08

2016 • Kate DeCleene Huber '01 , '03

2018 • Cynthia Delgado Galvan '09

2019 • Carla Hendricks Shaw '08, '18

Awards Nominations