Alumni Awards Ceremony Recognizes Alumni and Former Faculty

One of the highlights of Alumni Reunion Weekend is the Alumni Awards Ceremony, where alumni are recognized for exceptional volunteerism on behalf of Lawrenceville, new Selectors and a new Alumni Trustee are announced, and the Harkness Award is presented to a former faculty member for outstanding classroom teaching during their Lawrenceville tenure.

 

Alumni Council President Greg Melconian ’87 P’25 ’27 led the proceedings in Kirby Arts Center by announcing the results of the global alumni vote for two new Selectors, Elizabeth Anathan ’95 and Philip “Flip” Romanelli ’88, and the selection of the new Alumni Trustee, Heather Elliott Hoover ’91 P’20 ’23 ’24. Hoover was later recognized as the first alumna to receive the Distinguished Alumni Award.

 

The full alumni body elects two new Selectors each year from a slate of three nominees, chosen by the Nominating Committee of the Alumni Council (formerly the Alumni Association Executive Committee), for a total of six alumni Selectors serving staggered terms. Each year, the Selectors review candidates identified through the Alumni Council process and select an individual to serve a four-year term on Lawrenceville’s Board as Alumni Trustee, subject to final approval by the Board.

 

Melconian also announced two recipients of the Big Red Award, Leeann Passaro ’16 and Jeremy Perlman ’06. Formerly called the Meritorious Service Award, The Big Red Award is presented annually by the Alumni Association to recognize exceptional volunteerism and/or service to the Lawrenceville community. Candidates may be alumni, honorary class members, faculty and family, parents, or School employees and family. Passaro and Perlman were recognized for their extraordinary fundraising efforts and dedication to their respective classes as leading members of their Reunion Committees.

 

 

Head of School Steve Murray took the opportunity at the event to officially welcome Lawrentians back to campus. “We are here to honor both the contributions of alumni and your commitment to the mission and values of Lawrenceville,” he said, providing a perfect segue to the reunion check presentations. Alumni contributions were fully evident in the dollars raised during this reunion year by the Classes of 1951 through 2021 – $2,903,563, and the dollars raised over the five-year reunion cycle by the 50th reunion Class of 1976 – $3,246,943. Philanthropy is a significant source of income for the School, and Reunion Class giving is an important tradition that celebrates class pride, generosity, and commitment to Lawrenceville.

 

The Distinguished Alumni Award and the Harkness Award for Distinguished Teaching recognize the pinnacle of service to the School and its students. The Distinguished Alumni Award is presented annually, with the recipient selected by the Alumni Council based on “selfless devotion to the interests of The Lawrenceville School and the activities of the Alumni Association.” The Harkness Award is presented by the Alumni Association to beloved former faculty members whose distinguished classroom teaching over a substantial period of time is deemed “worthy of special praise.”

 

“Over the years, I always looked forward to the (Harkness) Award,” said Award recipient Emilie Kosoff H’88 ’94 ’95 ’96 ’00 ’16 ’18 ’20 P’19, acknowledging the guidance she received from previous recipients. “I owe them all a debt of gratitude.”

 

Kosoff came to Lawrenceville in the fall of 1992 as a history teacher, dedicating 30 years to the School in the classroom, in residential life, on the athletic fields, and as a member of the School’s senior leadership team. Over the course of her Lawrenceville career, she served as Crescent Level Director, Assistant Dean of Students, Dean of Faculty, and Interim Head of School, leaving in 2025 to become Head of School at Lancaster Country Day School. Her roles included Head of House in Davidson, McClellan, and Reynolds Houses; advisor to Women in Leadership at Lawrenceville (WILL); coach of girls’ varsity lacrosse, varsity and JV basketball, and field hockey; and leadership roles on the Student-Faculty Senate, Head of School Search Advisory Committee, and DEI Council. In 2019, Kosoff received the Henry and Janie Woods Meritorious Service Award in recognition of her exceptional impact on the Lawrenceville community.

 

“I met my husband Sam here (Sam Kosoff ’88 H’96 ’00 P’19) and we raised our children here,” said Kosoff, her voice breaking as she recalled the community she and her family found among the Lawrenceville faculty and staff. She offered especially high praise for her colleagues in the History Department and in the English Department, with whom Lawrenceville’s history teachers shared classrooms in the past, and expressed her profound gratitude for the many friendships she made during her years on campus.

Distinguished Alumni Award recipient Heather Elliott Hoover was similarly effusive in her praise for the School. “Why am I so dedicated to Lawrenceville? It’s the least I can do to show my gratitude for such a special place,” she said.

Hoover’s leadership as vice president of the Alumni Council from 2018 to 2023 and president from 2023 to 2025 is only one chapter in a decades-long commitment to strengthening the Lawrenceville community and fostering meaningful connections among alumni. A member of the 1988 Society, which celebrates the philanthropy of Lawrenceville alumnae, and the Lawrenceville Athletics Hall of Fame, Hoover has consistently demonstrated her commitment to strengthening alumni engagement and advancing the mission of the School. Whether serving on reunion committees, chairing regional events, mentoring volunteers, supporting fundraising efforts, or stepping forward whenever the School needs help, she has consistently answered the call.

With a shout-out for her classmates in the Class of 1991, “who changed the way I see the world,” Hoover cited the meaningful connections she developed with her Heads of Houses and acknowledged the many teachers and coaches who shaped her Lawrenceville experience. “They all taught me how to show up,” she said.

“Being an alumni parent, and seeing the same dedication through the eyes of my children, has only deepened my relationship with the School,” she noted. “I am so grateful for this honor. Go Big Red!” Following the awards ceremony, alumni from all the reunion classes assembled outside Kirby Arts Center for the Grand March, led this year by Larry Leeds ’46, and his wife, Ginger.