University Announces 2016 Alumni Merit Award Recipients

Saint Louis University established the Alumni Merit Awards to recognize outstanding alumni and acknowledge their success. 

The development division along with leadership and faculty from 11 schools and colleges across the University announce the recipients of the 2016 Alumni Merit Awards, who represent some of SLU’s most distinguished graduates.

The SLU community is invited to help honor the recipients of this prestigious award on Thursday, Sept. 22, in the Saint Louis Room of Busch Student Center.

Additional details and registration for the dinner and ceremony can be found here.

Note, the School of Medicine recipient will be honored during the Med Reunion on Friday, Oct. 14 during the Reunion Celebration Dinner. For more details or to register to attend the Med Reunion, click here.

• John P. Coyne (A&S '59)
  Coyne made his career as a writer, with 20 novels and nonfiction books to his credit. He has also been a teacher, college administrator, creative writing professor and foreign service officer. Coyne has had a lifelong involvement with the Peace Corps and has lived in various countries in Africa.
• Aron E. Dellinger, DDS (CADE '99)
  Dellinger is a practicing orthodontist in northern Indiana. He is the co-inventor and patent holder of a trademarked device called MagneTainer. He is deeply involved in the Kids First Cleft/Craniofacial Clinic, which provides free services for approximately 1,500 children and adults with craniofacial abnormalities. Dellinger is a member of the Rotary Club in his area, as well as numerous professional organizations, including the Great Lakes Association of Orthodontics, of which he is now president.
• Mark R. Bell (Cook '67)
  Bell retired as senior audit partner from PriceWaterhouseCoopers. He was on the board of directors of The Alliance Theatre for more than 25 years where he chaired the Education Committee. He was also on the board of Junior Achievement of Georgia where he is now director emeritus. He served as chairman of the Board of The Galloway School for three years.
• Lara A. Lennaman (Parks '03)
  Lennaman is a senior vice president and program manager leading strategic projects at Bank of America. She has been an active member of The Junior League of Phoenix, JLP. Lennaman earned her private pilot certificate in 2008 with a single-engine land rating and followed shortly thereafter with a tailwheel endorsement.
• Anne G. Perry, Ed.D. (Nursing '76)
  Perry is professor emerita, Primary Care and Health Systems Nursing, at Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville. Prior to SIUE, Perry was a professor in the School of Nursing at Saint Louis University. She spearheaded the initiative for the chartering of a chapter of the Nursing Honor Society, Sigma Theta Tau International. She developed the Pulmonary Nursing Graduate Program, coordinated the Cardiopulmonary Graduate Program and developed the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program. Perry is the co-author of four core textbooks and references in nursing fundamentals and clinical skills.
• Joseph F. Steurer, Jr. (Institute of Technology '59)
  Steurer is the retired CEO of Jasper Office Furniture Company, Inc. Along with being active in various community service agencies, Steurer is a member of the Board of Memorial Hospital and currently serves on the finance committee; he is a member of the Dubois County Museum, Crisis Connection and Friends of the Arts.
• Susan A. Klepper, Ph.D. (Doisy '66)
  Klepper retired as a pediatric physical therapist with more than 38 years of experience working with children in school systems, early intervention and home care. Her research concentrates on physical activity, fitness and the effects of exercise in children with rheumatic disease. She has authored or co-authored book chapters on motor development and juvenile arthritis.
• Larry Cheng-Erh Chang (CPHSJ '89)
  Chang is a senior advisor of Taipei Beitou Health Management Hospital of Taipei Wellness Clinic and Resorts. He has been a longtime University volunteer in Taiwan and has been crucial in facilitating scholarly activities for alumni in the area.
• William J. Dowling (Professional Studies '83)
  Dowling is the former president, CEO and owner of Gateway Distribution. He is actively involved with the St. Vincent DePaul Society in his parish. Additionally, Dowling volunteers his time and annually sponsors a family at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of St. Louis.
• Mary A. Bruemmer (Ed '60)
  For more than 60 years, Bruemmer has served SLU in positions ranging from the director of women’s housing to the dean of students to full-time advancement volunteer. She has been the guiding force of SLU’s Women’s Commission and served as chapter coordinator of Alpha Sigma Nu.
• Peter J. Dempsey, M.D. (Med '66)
  Dempsey is a radiologist currently serving as a professor within the Department of Diagnostic Radiology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. He was appointed as the medical director for the Anderson Physicians Network by the president of MD Anderson in 2013, a position which he still holds. With more than 70 published articles and book chapters, as well as an impressive teaching resume, he has had a notable career on both the clinical and academic medical sides.