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50 Year Club

Join Us for the 50 Year Club Luncheon

Started in 1934, the 50 Year Club is celebrating its 90th anniversary. This stalwart group of Rams includes anyone who graduated 50 or more years ago from Colorado State University.

Join us at the 50 Year Club Awards and Luncheon during Homecoming and Family Weekend, where we will induct and welcome the class of 1974 into the 50 Year Club!

50 Year Club Luncheon and Awards
Friday, Oct. 25, noon.-3 p.m.
Hilton Fort Collins

Scene at 50 Year Club Luncheon

Outstanding Recognition Awards

Each year, the Colorado State University Alumni Association and 50 Year Club Committee recognize two alumni who graduated at least 50 years ago for career achievement and public service.

The Career Achievement Award identifies and recognizes an alum who is recognized as outstanding in their occupation, field, or profession by peers in that industry, who has brought honor to Colorado State University and to themselves.

The Public Service Award identifies and recognizes an outstanding alum who is recognized by the University community and also by the alum’s community as someone who has contributed works of public service (e.g., government, clubs, charities, or organizations that are not industry or profession oriented).

Congrats to the 2023 Award Recipients!

Career Achievement Award: Harry William “Bill” Ellis

The dedication of Harry William “Bill” Ellis (B.S., ’64; CERT., ’64; M.Ed., ’68) to improving the physical health and wellness of Colorado State University students, faculty, and staff continues to be experienced today. His vision and tenacity were key to the construction of the Student Recreation Center and other amenities that contribute to the student experience and increase academic performance. Those accomplishments didn’t happen overnight, and the decades of hard work required to make them a reality had humble beginnings.

Bill came to CSU in 1960 as a first-generation student on a basketball scholarship. He worked part-time in the men’s intramural sports program with the late Burdette “Bo” Cowel, former director and professor emeritus, at a time when students had limited access to sports facilities. After graduating, he taught and coached at Akron High School in Colorado before returning to CSU three years later to earn a master’s degree and work in intramural sports again. With his master’s degree, he became the director of the recreation program at Schoolcraft College in Livonia, Michigan, where he developed a student recreation program. In 1972, Cowel retired, and Bill returned to CSU as the new director.

50 Year Club Career Achievement Award recipient Bill Ellis

Under Bill’s leadership, the men’s and women’s intramural program was integrated into a single program, and oversight of club sports was added to his role. Student interest in physical fitness began growing nationally in the late 1970s, and colleges and universities around the country began building student recreation centers. During the 1977-1978 school year, Bill worked with students on a referendum to begin funding campus recreation through student fees. He continued to champion a recreation center with the University administration until the mid-1980s, when the students voted to increase their fees to construct a 75,000-square-foot building, which opened in 1989. Other student-initiated fee increases have renovated and expanded the space into the 102,000-square-foot facility it was when he retired in 2001.

During Bill’s tenure as director of recreational sports, he also envisioned and oversaw other projects, including enhancements to the intramural practice fields (one of which is named B.C. Cowel Field), such as the installation of an inline hockey arena and basketball and sand volleyball courts. In August 2001, the 32-acre Student Recreation Center and fields were named one of seven nationwide “Sports Facilities of the Year” by the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association.

Beyond programs and facility improvements, Bill had a heart for students. He mentored, counseled, and encouraged numerous students throughout his career, and he provided ongoing support and insights to CSU graduates who pursued careers in collegiate recreation nationwide. He’s consulted on programs and facilities throughout Colorado and in several states.

When Bill retired in 2001, he had a long-standing reputation for giving back to institutions that made a difference in his life. He was a lifelong member and donor to NIRSA and, in 1995, he received the Merit Award, the organization’s second-highest honor. Bill is also a longtime donor to CSU, a lifetime member of the Alumni Association, and a member of the Frontier Society, which recognizes those who have made planned gifts to the University.


Public Service Award: Jo Ann (Hamil) Ostwald

Giving back comes naturally to Jo Ann (Hamil) Ostwald (B.S., ’58). Her easy smile and steadfast commitment to her local community is more than something she does; it is who she is.

Since 1960, she and her husband, Don (B.S., ’55; D.V.M., ’57) have lived in Fort Morgan, Colorado, a city with a population of 11,500 located southeast of Fort Collins. That same year, Jo Ann was elected to the Republican Precinct Committee, and later served as the Morgan County campaign chairperson for one of former state Sen. Hank Brown’s campaigns for the 4th Congressional District.

Jo Ann taught language arts at Fort Morgan High School from 1976 to 1998. When her two children were younger, she served as a Cub Scout den leader and spearheaded one of the first 4-H Rocketry Clubs, which helped young people learn how to design and build rockets to encourage careers in science and the aerospace industry. She also served for eight years as a 4-H Foods leader, teaching food safety and preservation techniques.

50 Year Club Public Service Award recipient Jo Ann Ostwald

For more than six decades, the Ostwalds have been active members of the Christ Congregational Church. Jo Ann has sung in the choir, represented the church at district and state meetings, and volunteered in various capacities, including as an executive board member of Caring Ministries of Morgan County and working in the organization’s store.

Beginning in the mid-1970s, Jo Ann served for many years with the Colorado Plains Medical Center Foundation, which is improving health care in the county. In 1997, she joined the governing board for the Colorado Plains Medical Center (now St. Elizabeth Hospital) and served as president during her last year in 2006. Jo Ann’s husband was a veterinarian and a member of the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association. She was active in the auxiliaries for both associations. She was twice elected president of the CVMA Auxiliary and was named CVMA Auxiliary Member of the Year in 1997. In 2000, she was elected president of the AVMA Auxiliary.

In the late 1990s, Jo Ann was an integral part of establishing the Morgan County Alumni Scholarship fund and creating the annual “Giovanni” Golf Tournament that supports it. She worked with the Morgan County CSU Alumni chapter, helping to organize fundraising for 25 years. Since the fund’s inception, 84 scholarships totaling nearly $100,000 have been awarded to incoming students from Morgan County high schools. The Ostwalds have continued to support scholarships and programs at CSU since 1972.

In 1998, Jo Ann began volunteering as a driver for Meals on Wheels, and during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, she became the site supervisor for elderly shut-ins to keep the service going. She currently serves one day a week as a desk clerk for both Meals on Wheels and her church, and volunteers at the Gene Doty Senior Center in Fort Morgan.

Over the years, Jo Ann’s many contributions to the Fort Morgan community have been recognized in numerous ways. In 2003, she received the CSU Alumni Association’s Charles A. Lory Public Service Award, and in 2007, The Fort Morgan Times honored her with an Angel Among Us award.

Nomination Info

Nominations for the 2024 awards are now open.

Award Criteria

Criteria for the Career Achievement and Public Service Recognition awards are similar. Please review the criteria carefully to determine which award would most appropriately express your nominee’s achievements.
We will recognize two alumni who are graduates of 50 or more years.

The CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD identifies and recognizes an alum who is recognized as outstanding in their occupation, field, or profession by peers in that industry, who has brought honor to Colorado State University and to themselves.

The PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD identifies and recognizes an outstanding alum who is recognized by the University community and also by the alum’s community as someone who has contributed works of public service (e.g., government, clubs, charities, or organizations that are not industry or profession oriented).

Award Criteria

All nominees must have graduated from CSU or Colorado A&M at least 50 years ago.

The CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD candidate must also have:

  • A demonstrated record of distinction in their field.
  • Received recognition in their career through awards or honors locally, nationally, or internationally.
  • Demonstrated a lifelong history of accomplishments and activities in their field.
  • Demonstrated leadership in professional organizations.

The PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD candidate must also have:

  • Provided outstanding public service to their community.
  • Provided service to their charitable or religious organization.
  • Provided service to local, state, or national government.
  • Provided service to medical or environmental well-being of humankind.
  • Provided service to Colorado State University.

How to Nominate Someone for an Award

  1. Submit the nomination form online or download (print, complete, and mail). The nomination form must be completely filled out for full consideration.
  2. If you would like to update or add to your previously submitted nomination, it must be resubmitted by the deadline.
  3. Nominations are automatically rolled over an additional two years past the initial submission.
  4. Be as specific as possible, and attach additional sheets as needed. Please type if possible.
  5. Please attach one letter of recommendation from those who are familiar with the nominee’s accomplishments and service if available.
  6. Please attach copies of up to two (2) articles, photographs, or other supporting information.
  7. Before you nominate someone, please be sure you are addressing criteria in the category for which you are nominating them. Each candidate may only be nominated for ONE award: either the Career Achievement Award OR the Public Service Award.

Nomination Forms and Instructions

Select one of the following options to submit a nomination. Please be sure you read and understand the nomination information.

1. Online: Use this online form to submit a nomination. We highly recommend using Microsoft Word (or similar program) to type your answers, then copy and paste them into the form.

2. Print: Download, print, and complete a nomination form. Return via email or mail (contact info below).

Colorado State University Alumni Association
Attn. 50 Year Club Award Nomination
7114 Campus Delivery
Fort Collins, CO 80523-7114
E-mail: csualumni@colostate.edu. If emailing, please be sure to include the appropriate attachments.

Past Recipients

1987: Raymond Kissock (’14)
1988: Bruce Thornton (’18, 27)
1989: Jasper French (’39)
1990: Stew Case (’41)
1991: Jim (’40) and Nadine (’41) Henry
1992: Larry LaSasso (’34)
1993: Lois Smith (’40) and Lola Case (’40)
1994: Cecil Hellbusch (’30)
1995: Cecil Staver (’30, ’53)
1996: Charles Dale Rea (’36)
1997: John Toliver (’34)
1998: Wendell King (’30)
1999: Norm Cable (’38)
2000: Elizabeth Case (’42)
2001: G. Owen Smith (’47, ’50)
2002: John Matsushima (’43, ’45)
2003: Leona M. Heilman (’51)
2004: Robert Shideler (’48)
2005: Nicholas H. Booth, D.V.M. (’51)
2006: Dr. M. Joan (Ouderkirk) Cromer (’53)
2007: Cleon Kimberling, D.V.M. (’51, ’59)
2008: Everett Richardson, Ph.D. (’49, ’60, ’65)
2009: Eugene “Gene” Markley (’47)
2010: Robert Phillips, D.V.M. (’59, ’61) Career Achievement Award
2010: Alvie Rothe (’57, ’61) Public Service Award
2011: Anthony Sroka, Ph.D. (’51) Career Achievement Award
2011: Robert Briggs, Jr. (’59, ’61) Public Service Award
2012: Dr. Carl Burtis, Jr. (’59) Career Achievement Award
2012: Robert Sweeney (’59) Public Service Award
2013: Jim Coleman (’56) Career Achievement Award
2013: Bill Erickson (’51) Public Service Award
2014: Karen Ostermiller (’59) Career Achievement Award
2014: Tom Nix (’50) Public Service Award
2015: Mike Rosser (’64) Career Achievement Award
2015: Dale Yonker (’63) Public Service Award
2016: Donald Rutledge (’62) Career Achievement Award
2016: Polly Baca (’62) Public Service Award
2016: Ingmar “John” Olsen (’48) Distinguished Achievement Award (special award given in 2016 only)
2017: Delbert “Kent” Nelson (’61) Career Service Award
2017: Franklin Anderson (’56) Public Service Award
2017: Robert Miller, D.V.M. (’56) Distinguished Achievement Award
2018: Kenneth Goldsberry (B.S., ’54; M.S., ’62) Career Achievement Award
2018: Jack Welch (B.S., ’68; CERT, ’68) Public Service Award
2018: Jon Larsen (B.S., ’64) Achievement in Science Award
2019: Charlie Vail, D.V.M. (’58, ’60) Career Achievement Award
2019: Lt. Col. Robert W. Johnson, USAF (Retired) (’68) Public Service Award
2021: Thaine Michie (B.S., ’63) Career Achievement Award
2021: Vivian Lee Kerr (B.S., ’69; M.Ed., ’77) Public Service Award
2021: Charles (Chuck) Sylvester (B.S., ’61; M.Agr., ’86) Exceptional Achievement for National Western Stock Show Award
2022: Dr. Len Carpenter (B.S., ’68; Ph.D., ’76) Career Achievement Award
2022: Maxine Henke Schultz (B.S., ’60) Public Service Award

If you are interested in joining the 50 Year Club or for more info, please email Lisa Hansen.