MONMOUTH, Ill. — Monmouth College announced six award winners at its annual President’s Homecoming Gala on Oct. 9. Held in the college’s Huff Athletic Center, the event was attended by almost 300 alumni, friends, faculty and staff, and featured an address by President Mauri Ditzler and entertainment by a student jazz combo, a student a cappella ensemble and the Fighting Scots Marching Band.

Award winners included Joe Tait ’59, Medina, Ohio, who was inducted into the college’s Hall of Achievement, the highest honor MC bestows upon its graduates; mathematics and computer science professor Marta Tucker, the Hatch Award for Distinguished Teaching; Key Yang ’50, Bethesda, Md., the Distinguished Alumnus Award; William Goldsborough ’65, Glen Ellyn, the Distinguished Service Award; Eric Hanson ’98, Monmouth, the Young Alumnus Award; and the Whiteman family, the Family of the Year Award.

Tait, who began his broadcasting career in Monmouth calling Fighting Scots games, has been the radio play-by-play announcer for the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers for all but two seasons since 1970. He called his 3,000th Cavaliers game in 2008. Tait, who also announced Cleveland Indians games for 17 seasons, has stayed true to his small school roots, calling select high school games and Division III Mount Union College football contests despite his “prime time” status. An eight-time winner of the Ohio Sportscaster of the Year Award who was inducted into the college’s M Club Hall of Fame in 1991, Tait is known to occasionally mention Monmouth College on the radio airwaves.

For the second consecutive year, the recipient of the Hatch Award was selected based on nominations submitted by several alumni.

“I gained confidence completing difficult assignments while Professor Tucker provided the supportive instruction that guided each task,” wrote the nominator. “Her example of leadership, scholarship and dedication is an inspiration to all women entering the computer science field.”

Tucker joined MC’s faculty in 1983 and was promoted to full professor in 1996. She also served several years as associate academic dean.

“Marta has not only taught her students what to do by following a textbook, but she has taught them by doing, serving as a strong role model in several areas,” said Ditzler.

For 45 years, Yang was head of the Korean section at the Library of Congress, the largest library in the world. He was known in academic circles as the “Father of Korean Studies,” and was in charge of all materials related to his native country. Toward the end of his career, his scope broadened considerably, as he was named chief of the library’s Asian division.

During the 1980s, Yang was awarded the Library of Congress Meritorious Award and was a Fulbright Scholar. When the first President Bush went to Korea, he helped with his speech and, a decade ago, he was honored with an appointment as special adviser to the South Korean Embassy in Washington, D.C.

An adjunct faculty member at his alma mater, Hanson was honored for his career in government, including his successes to date in his two years as Monmouth’s city administrator. His work has helped Monmouth to bring in millions of dollars of business, with projects including hotels, restaurants and drug stores. Additionally, he has helped the city get on the right track in several areas, most notably its annual budget and its infrastructure. His leadership and vision have helped him quickly develop a reputation for taking on projects – including several that had been stalled for years – and seeing them through to completion.

Goldsborough, recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2002, was back on campus to receive an award for his service, which includes nearly a quarter-century on MC’s board of trustees. Now a private investor, he began working for Lincoln Capital Management in 1977, retiring in 2001. He was also an investment officer at Harris Bank for eight years and taught economics and business administration at the University of Wisconsin for three years.

Ditzler said that Goldsborough has freely shared his expertise in the financial world, providing invaluable advice for the college’s investment policy, and he has delivered many popular guest presentations to MC students. Most recently, he and wife, Beverly, provided a significant gift to allow the college to name its newest residence hall in honor of legendary music instructor Gracie Peterson.

Thirteen members of Frank Whiteman’s family tree attended Monmouth College, including four children who enrolled in the classes of 1927 through 1930. The first of that group was Wendell Whiteman and, like his father, Wendell also sent his children to Monmouth, with three sons graduating. Whiteman family members have served a total of 35 years on the college’s board of trustees and received two Distinguished Service awards. Gifts from the family have funded the Hall of Achievement, the Whiteman Memorial Lecture series and seven scholarships.

Family members who attended the ceremony were Barbara Whiteman Garland ’49, Don Whiteman ’49, Ralph Whiteman ’52, Dick Whiteman ’64, Harriett Southerlan Whiteman ’65 and Dave Whiteman ’66.

“Much of their time, talents and treasures have been given on behalf of Monmouth College, and this place would not be the same without them,” said Ditzler.