2005 Alumni Achievement Awards

Knox celebrated the 168th anniversary of its founding with the presentation of Alumni Achievement Awards at the 2005 Founders Day Convocation, at 5 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 17, in the Muelder Room, Seymour Library.

2005 Alumni Achievement Award Recipients

Elizabeth Harler Van Steenwyk '48
A native of Galesburg, Elizabeth Van Steenwyk is the author of more than 65 books for young people, including "A Traitor Among Us," "When Abraham Talked to the Trees," and "One Fine Day." She has also written more than 300 articles and short stories for adult and children's magazines. Her early career was spent writing for radio and television, including work with NBC's flagship station KTSM-TV in El Paso, Texas. She and her family are the owners of the Adelaida Cellars winery in central California.

Alvin L. Crumbliss '64
Alvin L. Crumbliss is professor of chemistry at Duke University, where he has held various administrative positions, including chairman of the chemistry department and director of undergraduate studies in chemistry. He is the recipient of the Duke University Scholar-Teacher of the Year Award and the David and Janet Vaughn Brooks Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award. Al has also held visiting faculty positions at several foreign universities, is an active member of the professional chemistry community, and has authored more than 175 research publications. He lives with his wife, Karen Hummel Crumbliss '64, in Durham, North Carolina.

Steven D. McClure '79
Steven D. McClure has had a long career in Illinois government and, later, in economic entrepreneurship. His most notable government appointments include director of Boards and Commissions in the executive office of former Governor James Thompson and the director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (DCCA). During his time in the governor's office, Steve has recruited dozens of Knox graduates to state government. As an economic consultant, Steve has helped a variety of clients secure government funding, including the John Deere Visitor Center in Moline, Illinois, and Alumni Hall on the Knox College campus. Steve is currently president of Opportunity Alliance, LLC and ClearStack Combustion Corporation in Springfield, Illinois.

Ellen Landers '96
A Young Alumni Achievement Award, given for the first time in 2005, was awarded to Ellen Landers '96.

After graduating with honors in philosophy and psychology, Ellen Landers pursued her graduate degree in the philosophy-neurosciences-psychology program at Washington University in St. Louis, where she received the Olin Fellowship, given to women of exceptional promise seeking careers in higher education and related professions. Ellen currently serves as an associate program officer for the James S. McDonnell Foundation, which supports research on brain cancer, the dynamics of complex systems, and the relationship between mind, brain, and behavior. She is also a volunteer for the St. Louis Effort for AIDS and president of the St. Louis chapter of the Association for Women in Science.

Previous Alumni Achievement Award Recipients