Margaret-Alice Haggart Lucas of Bethesda To Be Honored With UNH Alumni Achievement Award

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Margaret-Alice “M.A.” Haggart Lucas recipient of the Award of Excellence for Outstanding Achievement

DURHAM, NH (10/08/2012)(readMedia)-- Margaret-Alice "M.A." Haggart Lucas of Bethesda, Md., will be honored Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, during the University of New Hampshire Alumni Association's annual Alumni Achievement Awards Ceremony recognizing eight outstanding alumni who have made notable contributions to the UNH community, the state or the nation.

A member of the class of 1964, Lucas is the recipient of the Award of Excellence for Outstanding Achievement. In 1980, Lucas became the first leader of the Army's Child Development Services at a time when childcare was mostly provided by volunteers in old, unsafe facilities. Instrumental in passing the first major legislation to improve the Army's childcare and youth services, she helped set in motion changes that would affect the lives of children around the world. Today, thanks in part to her efforts, every one of the Army's hundreds of child development centers are accredited by a national association.

Lucas, who shared her passion and vision as a UNH Homecoming speaker six years ago, was also instrumental in launching the 4-H/Army Youth Development Project and in supporting the 4-H role in Operation: Military Kids, a collaboration aimed at the children of deployed soldiers. Her career has been a shining example of two cherished UNH values: commitment to excellence and a passion for serving others. 

Other 2012 award winners include the recipients of the Alumni Meritorious Service Award, Frank E. "Ted" Wheatley '76 of Winchester, Mass., Frederick "Fritz" Armstrong III '57 of South Wellfleet, Mass.; Cheryl Kuebler Dickson '63 of Manchester; and Deborah Narinkevicuis Overdeput '82 of Salem. The Profile of Service Award recipients are Dorothy "Dot" Taylor Sheehan '71 of Hampton, and Valerie "Val" Wilcox England '54 of Durham. The Young Alumna Achievement Award goes to Katharina "Katy" Fader Lilly '00 of Durham.

The awards will be presented by Alumni Association student scholarship recipients. "Bringing student and alumni leaders together is a special way to commemorate this occasion," says Steve Donovan, associate vice president of advancement and executive director of the UNH Alumni Association.

Those interested in attending the UNH Alumni Association Awards event can RSVP online by October 22: www.alumni.unh.edu/alumniawards or call Megan Meagher at (603) 862-3852. 

The mission of the UNH Alumni Association is to advocate for the University of New Hampshire and its alumni, and promote the university's historic land-grant mission of teaching, research and public service. Through its programs and services, the Alumni Association develops a spirit of loyalty to the university, engaging and serving alumni, student, parents, faculty and staff, and the public.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate students.