Each year, Saint Leo University alumni across the generations and around the world live out our core values and contribute to their communities, professions, and causes in a variety of ways. The Saint Leo Alumni Association seeks to celebrate the members of our alumni community and pay tribute to those who have reached remarkable goals either professionally or personally. Please join in congratulating the 2021 and 2022 recipients of the Saint Leo University Alumni Awards.
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Alumni 2021 Awards
BENEDICTINE SPIRIT
Joseph Byrne ’74
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS/A
Christine Gibree ’85
GLOBAL SERVICE
Gianfranco Pagan ’21
ROARING ONWARD
Jerry Blash ’14, Mercy Figueroa ’17, Seth Gross ’17, Anthony Santa ’12, Andrew Specht ’17, ’22
Alumni 2022 Awards
BENEDICTINE SPIRIT
Natoy Baker ’11, ’20
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS/A
Peter Mulry ’67, James Salgado ’07, ’14
GLOBAL SERVICE
Haywood Barnes ’93
ROARING ONWARD
Bobrenti “Brent” Patterson ’21, Mohammed “Ammar” Mohart ’17, Benjamin Larison ’14, Krystal Cox ’12, and Allison Baldwin ’15.
Prolific scorer and rebounder Daphne Washington joined the Saint Leo Athletic Hall of Fame following a four-year career on the women’s basketball team. Washington, who still ranks second in career-scoring at Saint Leo, scored 1,495 career points for the then-Monarchs. She also made 704 impressive career rebounds, ranking fifth in the Saint Leo record book. She is still tops in the record book for shooting from the field at 54.0 percent, which was helped by her single-season Saint Leo record of 58.8 percent (shot in the 1991-1992 season). Her single-season mark bested her previous school record of 57.9 percent, which she accumulated during the 1990-1991 season. She was named the Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year in 1989-1990 season and went on to be a two-time Honorable Mention All-Sunshine State Conference selection and a Second Team All-Sunshine State Conference performer as a junior.
Former walk-on, now turned Hall of Famer, Pat Bowen spent four years as a member of the Saint Leo baseball program from 1995 to 1999 under head coaches John Schaly and Ed Stabile. He served as a starting pitcher for the then-Monarchs and finished his career ranked second in career strikeouts at Saint Leo with 266. He achieved a 20-8 career mark, including five saves. His 20 wins ranked him third all-time at the end of the 1999 season. During his junior year, he ranked seventh among all NCAA Division II pitchers for strikeouts per nine innings at 11.9. He helped guide the Monarchs to a pair of NCAA postseason appearances in 1996 and 1999 and was selected as an All-South Region honoree and First Team All-Sunshine State Conference selection in 1999. As a junior, he earned Second Team All-Sunshine State Conference honors. Following his collegiate career, he was drafted by a Major League Baseball team, the Anaheim Angels. After a few years of professional baseball, Bowen began coaching youth sports and went on to be the head baseball coach at Bishop McGuinness Catholic School (NC).
Countless young people first heard of Saint Leo University because of the work of Mike Macekura. He worked as an associate director of admissions and often traveled to college fairs representing Saint Leo. He liked to place a palm tree on the Saint Leo display table. It was a conversation starter when he was chatting with families in the Northeast and explaining the advantages their students would enjoy if they attended college at University Campus in Florida. His daughter Vanessa ’11 followed that advice and proved him right.
My darling wife, your spirit is with me as I see your name
Griffin Clark, 21, a sophomore criminal justice major and member of the men’s golf team, passed away on July 4. He was involved in a car accident near his home in Chesterfield County, VA. Griffin helped lead the golf team to its recent NCAA Division II National Championship, in Denver, CO, playing in the final match-play pairing against Chico State (CA) and winning by three strokes.
Frederick “Fred” William Colby Sr. ’84, registrar emeritus, passed away on July 7. A decorated veteran of the U.S. Navy, he served from 1952 to 1979, including tours of duty in Singapore and Tokyo, as a Naval intelligence specialist. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Saint Leo College and was a member of the Saint Leo staff for 24 years, retiring as registrar.
Dr. Diane Johnson passed away on May 10. She was an assistant director of the Center for Online Learning from 2005 to 2014. After retiring from that administrative role, she continued to teach as an online adjunct professor. She is remembered for being supportive of Saint Leo’s students and guiding them through their educational development.
On May 20, Dr. Kurt Van Wilt passed away at his home. A humble and devoted English professor, he dedicated his life to the education of Saint Leo University’s students, to their spiritual and intellectual growth and development. A respected poet, he was the master of the sonnet, a form that appeals to the kind of artisan who enjoys the rigor of structure, the triumphs achieved through simplicity. An expert in comparative mysticism and Native American literature, he authored three critically praised books for Millichap Books. He was also a co-founder of The Sandhill Review literary arts magazine, The Lightning Key Review electronic journal, and The Green Rabbit chapbook series.