WHEELING, W. Va. - Wheeling Jesuit University will recognize four alumni and one community member for contributions made to their profession, to society and to the University during the 2013 Alumni Weekend set for June 21-23.

During the President's Dinner Saturday, June 22, President Richard A. Beyer will present the 2012 Distinguished Alumni Awards.

"Each June, we look forward to welcoming our alumni back to campus to reconnect with friends, faculty and their alma mater," said Kelly Klubert '85, director of alumni relations. "The awards that are presented during Alumni Weekend by the University and the alumni association are just one way that we thank our graduates and community members who make a difference at our University and in their communities every day."

This year, alumni from the class of 1963, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2008 will mark reunions.

The St. Ignatius Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes a graduate who exemplifies the Jesuit ideals of extraordinary competence and personal compassion in one's chosen profession. The University will present this award to two individuals this year, Charlie Lloyd, Ph.D ’63 and Dr. John Maris ’83.

Following graduation, Lloyd volunteered as a candidate for the U.S. Navy OCS Program and his subsequent service experiences dictated an unusual career path – one of survival. He was wounded on Feb. 14, 1966 while on patrol in the western part of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Four crewmembers were killed and Lloyd sustained multiple fractures in both legs and right hip. He spent several months in European hospitals before being transferred to Bethesda Naval Hospital where he remained until April 1967. In the fall of 1967, he was honorably retired from the Navy and was awarded the Purple Heart.

Despite near mortal wounds from heroic service in Vietnam, Lloyd never quit, overcoming the many obstacles placed in his life. He became a devoted husband, father, historian, educator and articulate advocate for U.S. Military Veterans. While employed by the Air Force, he completed course work in education at George Washington University and upon retirement he became a teacher in Maryland. He also earned a master’s and doctorate from Georgetown University. He has made himself a productive, giving and a sharing member of society.

Maris is a physician/scientist and the director of the Center for Childhood Cancer Research at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. In addition, he directs the Pediatric Oncology Program in the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania and serves as chairman of the national Children’s Oncology Group Neuroblastoma Committee, a research consortium of more than 200 member institutions. Maris holds a bachelor’s of science in biology from WJU and earned his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1989.

At Children's Hospital, he leads a team of world-class clinicians and scientists dedicated to rapidly translating research about childhood cancers from the laboratory to the patient. The Maris Laboratory and Research Program is focused on the childhood cancer neuroblastoma, a malignancy of the developing sympathetic nervous system. The research plan is focused on investigations spanning from the genetic basis of neuroblastoma to Phase 3 clinical trials. The Center is one of nation’s leaders in early phase clinical research and designs studies to help benefit children who have refractory or relapsed diseases for which treatment options may be limited.

The Rev. Pedro Arrupe S.J. Distinguished Alumni Award will be given this year to Wheeling resident Erin McDonald ‘03 for living a life in service to others. She is the newest candidate for membership into the Sisters of St. Joseph. During the summer of 2000, McDonald came to Wheeling from Massachusetts and connected with the Sisters of St. Joseph when she participated in the Volunteers in Mission Program. She later moved to Wheeling to complete her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Wheeling Jesuit and then received her Masters of Social Work degree from West Virginia University. She has had a number of work experiences including being a residential counselor at Girls Hope in Baden, Pennsylvania; working as assistant director and then director of the Service for Social Action Center at Wheeling Jesuit.

McDonald returned to Wheeling last summer after two years of ministry in Rwanda with Jesuit Refugee Services and currently is working for Catholic Charities West Virginia in the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. “After serving two years as a humanitarian aid worker with the Jesuit Refugee Service in Rwanda, I have seen and experienced, first hand, the brokenness in our world that is crying out for unity and reconciliation. As a Sister of St Joseph, I am called to be a catalyst for positive change and healing in our wounded and fractured world,” she said.

The Alumni Association will give the Rev. Clifford M. Lewis, S.J. Award, the highest honor presented by the Alumni Council, to Wheeling physician Dr. Gregory Merrick. The award recognizes extraordinary service, contribution and dedication to Wheeling Jesuit University in the spirit of one of the University's founding Jesuits, Father Lewis, a true "person for others."

Merrick serves as organizer of the annual Cancer Research Classic (CRC). Started in 2007, the CRC is the premier boy’s high school tournament in the country, which uses basketball to shine the national spotlight on WJU and men’s health issues. Through the efforts of Merrick, the CRC attracts to top boy’s basketball programs in the country to play on the campus of WJU each winter. The weekend tournament allows Merrick to showcase the participating schools, and puts the University in the national spotlight through national telecast by ESPN of the two evening games on Saturday night. At the same time, Merrick is able to promote his professional passion, men’s health issues, on a national stage. A devoted proponent of Catholic education, the Merrick and CRC supports Catholic education and mission of those schools in the state of West Virginia, which consists of 29 pre-school, elementary and secondary schools, along with Wheeling Jesuit.

Tony Mazza ‘06 will be given the Rev. James A. O'Brien Award, which recognizes young alumni who manifest a growing competence and personal compassion and who exhibit strength and promise in areas reflecting WJU's mission of educating men and women for life, leadership and service to others.

Currently, Mazza is seeking a master’s of science degree in medical and health physics at Louisiana State University, currently. Prior to undertaking his advanced degree, he served as case manager for UNITY of Greater New Orleans, where he helped clients in the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program. He was program director at Contemplatives in Action, New Orleans and Mother Jones House mentor at WJU for a year. Mazza also served as national recruiter for the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. As a student he was a research assistant at the Schiffler Cancer Center at the Urologic Research Institute at Wheeling Hospital.

Alumni Weekend is a time for alumni of all ages to return to Wheeling to reconnect with friends, classmates and faculty. The three-day event offers events for young and old. This year, the University will celebrate the classes of 1963, 1968, 1973,1978,1983,1988, 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2008. Details of all the events can be found at www.wju.edu/alumni.

To make reservations, please contact the WJU alumni office at 1-800-888-2586 or alumni@wju.edu.