At its upcoming Homecoming & Family Weekend, Houghton University will celebrate alumni who have made significant contributions to their fields of expertise and their communities. Awards will be presented during the annual Alumni Legacy Chapel in Wesleyan Chapel on Friday, October 6 starting at 11:10 a.m.

Among those celebrated will be Carl Lynch, III as the Alumnus of the Year. Dr. Lynch is a 1972 graduate who created an endowment fund for Houghton University’s Shannon Summer Research Institute, was a prominent anesthesiologist at the University of Virginia, and is a dedicated volunteer to the medical mission Misión de Esperanza based in Bolivia.

Young alumni Rachel (Meier) and Justin Peck, both from Class of 2013, will be recognized for their tremendous work in the start-up of 431 Ministries which meets the needs of marginalized women in Central Tennessee. For his work in Buffalo, New York, emergency rooms and at a teaching hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Dr. Jeffrey Thompson from the Class of 2001 will be presented with the Christian Service Award. Rounding out those alumni recognized are long-time Houghton employee and higher education expert Timothy Fuller ’79 who will be presented with the Distinguished Achievement Award posthumously, Timothy Deckert ’95 with the Alumni Appreciation Award, and Stephanie (Ford) and David Bruno, both Class of 2015, will be recognized by Houghton President Wayne D. Lewis, Jr. with the Fearless Award.

Houghton University will host a wide array of events and activities for visiting alumni and their families. Events open to the general public include the Greatbatch School of Music’s Homecoming Collage Concert on Friday, October 6 at 7:30 p.m. in Wesley Chapel, Women’s Soccer against Russell Sage (Saturday, October 7 at 1:00 p.m.) and Women’s Tennis against St. John Fisher University (Saturday, October 7 at 4:00 p.m.). The Ortlip Art Gallery is hosting the show Concept, Material and Design¸ which is open to the public throughout the weekend.