Findlay, Ohio, Sept. 22, 2003 — The University of Findlay honored three graduates as Distinguished Alumni and named recipients of the Old Main Award and the Gold Medallion Award during the All-Alumni Brunch Saturday, Sept. 20, as part of Homecoming Weekend.

Named as Distinguished Alumni were: Darrel Linder of Lima, Ohio, class of 1943; V. Ruth McDowell of Oklahoma City, Okla., class of 1951; and Joseph Camillone of Ewing, N.J., class of 1968. Marian Lowe of Washington, D.C., class of 1997, was honored with the Old Main Award. The Gold Medallion Award was presented in memory of the late Anthony Thompson, class of 1988.

Darrel F. Linder earned his bachelor’s degree in 1943 from then Findlay College. He went on to earn divinity degrees from Winebrenner Graduate School of Divinity and Oberlin Graduate School of Theology, in 1945 and 1950, respectively.

Linder served as a student pastor for Hopewell Church of God in 1944 and was pastor of the First Church of God in Findlay from 1946-50. During that time, he was instrumental in merging with the College Church of God and building the new College First Church of God on campus.

During the 1950s, Linder became nationally known as a lecturer on management development and served as executive secretary of The International Platform Association in 1951. He was named assistant to the president of Cemtrex Corporation in the 1960s.

In 1966, he became a representative for Equitable Life and was named district manager of Equitable Life in Toledo in 1968. He was promoted to assistant agency manager for the Southern California area in 1969 and took a position in 1971 as an advanced underwriter for Equitable Life in Cincinnati. He held the position of manager of management development for the New York City home office in 1977 and was manager of advanced sales for Denver and the Rocky Mountain states in 1979. He was named advanced underwriter in Detroit, Mich., in 1983. He retired from Equitable Life in 1983.

Linder formed The Linder Corporation in Louisville, Ky., in 1984 and became an estate planning tax analyst and consultant. He moved to Lima, Ohio, in 1985 and continued as a charitable gift annuity consultant for non-profit institutions.

Frequently honored for his work and service, Linder has received more than 70 awards for service to his community. He was made an honorary Eagle Scout by the Ohio-West Virginia Council of the Boy Scouts of America, was named Outstanding Young Man by the Findlay Chapter of the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce and earned an honorary doctor of divinity degree from then Findlay College in 1953.

In addition, he received the Jefferson Award and St. Rita’s Medical Center Mercy Club Award in 2002.

Linder was a member of the board of hospitals in Michigan and Kentucky and currently serves as a volunteer at St. Rita’s Medical Center in Lima, where he facilitates a prostate cancer man-to-man support group. He is a member of St. Rita’s Legacy Foundation board. The author of several estate tax law articles, Linder wrote the book Living Life in the Survivor’s Lane in 1999.

V. Ruth McDowell graduated cum laude from then Findlay College in 1951 with a bachelor’s degree in Bible and Christian education. She furthered her education at Bowling Green State University, earning a master’s degree in guidance and counseling in 1959. She also studied at Oberlin Graduate School of Theology, Garrett Evangelical Seminary, Columbia University and Vanderbilt University.

During her student years, McDowell was a member of the Future Teachers Association and the Campus YWCA. She also was an assistant to the pastor at College First Church of God in Findlay during her junior and senior years.

After college graduation, McDowell was a teacher of ecumenical Christian education in Fostoria, Youngstown and Springfield in Ohio from 1951-68. She also edited a Christian education page for The Church Advocate, wrote a Churches of God membership manual called We Want to Know and wrote two units of church school curriculum for persons with mental retardation.

In 1968, McDowell took a job as associate director of the West Ohio Conference Council on Ministries of the United Methodist Church and worked as a United Methodist representative to the Commission on Education of the Ohio Council of Churches, having served this group as chairperson for three years.

McDowell joined the staff of the Division of Church School Publications at the United Methodist Publishing House in Nashville, Tenn., in 1973, where she remained until 1990. During that time, she served as editor of Church School Today, a denominational magazine for local church leaders. For seven years, she was associate director of the Office of Interpretation and Field Service and led educational workshops across the country.

After her retirement in 1990, McDowell enrolled in a two-year Academy of Spiritual Formation and is an active volunteer. She is also a diaconal minister for the United Methodist Church.

Joseph J. Camillone earned his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from then Findlay College in 1968. He went on to earn a master’s degree in physical education from Eastern Michigan University in 1969.

After completing his education, Camillone took a job as health education teacher and athletic trainer at Cedar Ridge High School in Old Bridge, N.J., where he served until 1973. He then was named head athletic trainer and adjunct professor at The College of New Jersey in Ewing, N.J., a position he has held since 1973.

Camillone is a member of the National Athletic Trainers Association, having become certified in 1970. He has served as the organization’s District Two honors and awards committee chairman since 1995. He has been a member of the Eastern Athletic Trainers Association since 1969, having served as president from 1983-85 and as chairman of the honors and awards committee from 1987 to the present.

A founding member of the New Jersey Athletic Trainer’s Society, Camillone was the first elected president, having served from 1977-79 From 1985-99, he served as a governor-appointed member of the Athletic Trainers Advisory Committee to the New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners.

Camillone was named Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer by the National Athletic Trainers Association in 1995 and earned the Cramer Award from the Eastern Athletic Trainers Association in 1988. In 1997, Camillone was honored with the Distinguished Service Award by the New Jersey Athletic Trainers Society and was inducted into that organization’s Hall of Fame in 1999.

Marian S. Lowe graduated magna cum laude from The University of Findlay in 1997 with bachelor of science degrees in biology and pre-veterinary medicine.

Since 2001, Marian has been employed by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission in Washington, D.C., as special assistant to the executive director since 2002 and prior to that as an analyst. In her job, she supports the executive director in managing the operations of the agency and performs a number of other duties, including coordinating the organization’s research agenda, communicating to Congress and the executive branch the commission’s policy recommendations and coordinating the organization’s response to legislative and regulatory developments.

Previously, she worked for one year as associate director of federal relations policy and a consultant and interim director for the American Organization of Nurse Executives, an American Hospital Association subsidiary, also in Washington, D.C. She also spent one year as executive director of the American Nurses Association of California in San Francisco. From 1997-99, Marian was an associate for Capitol Associates, Inc., a health care lobbyist group in Washington, D.C. Marian also has experience working for Advocates for Basic Legal Equity in Findlay, Women’s Policy, Inc., in Washington, D.C. and USDA APHIS Veterinary Services in Columbus, Ohio.

Active in professional organizations, Marian served as co-chair of the Health Care Task Force for Women in Government Relations from 2001-02 and was a member of the editorial advisory board in 2001 for Patient Care Staffing Report. Marian is a member of the American Society of Association Executives, was a member of the Maryland State Democratic Central Committee from 1998-99 and was campaign manager for Fran Brenneman for County Council. She was honored in 1998 with the Kelsey Cooke Award for Outstanding Volunteer Activity.

Anthony K. Thompson earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from then Findlay College in 1988. He went on to earn a master of business administration degree from Ashland University in 1997.

Anthony began his professional career as a bank teller with Bank One, NA, in Lima, Ohio. He moved up to loan representative from 1989-91, when he entered the bank’s management trainee program. In 1992, he was named community development officer/assistant vice president, a position he held until 1997. Anthony was then named relationship banker and held that position from 1998-99.

In 1999, Anthony took a job as a financial services representative with Metlife Financial Services in Lima. During his tenure there, Anthony was recognized as a top performer in the northwest Ohio region and the United States for the second quarter of 1999, when he placed more than 60 policies.

In addition, he was owner and president of A&M Leasing, Inc., co-owner of Thompson Consulting and Financial Services and previously managed Liberty Sourcing, Inc.

A member of Philippian Missionary Baptist Church, Anthony served in numerous leadership roles. He founded the Black Achievers Program at the Lima Family YMCA. He served on the school board for Quest Academy, was a board member of Lima Public Library and was a member of the Minority Business Committee of the Chamber of Commerce. He was a former member of Kiwanis and a graduate of the Lima-Allen Leadership Program. Among his other numerous activities, he served as a youth basketball coach at the Salvation Army and YMCA. He was a high school basketball stand-out and played basketball at UF.

Anthony passed away on Feb. 24, 2002.