Davis & Elkins College proudly recognizes four outstanding alumni for their contributions and service to their communities, dedication to volunteering, philanthropic investment of talents and funding, and professional and career advancement and its relation to the service of others. These awards are presented alongside the Half-Century Club Recognition, honoring the Class of 1974, and will be open to alumni, guests, and friends of the College on Friday, October 11, at 6:30 p.m. in Myles Center for the Arts.
Honorees: Cindy Stinger, ’81, Distinguished Alumna Award; Kathryn Dunbar Ramsdell, ’74, Tower Award; Robin Stillwater, ’13 and ’14, Outstanding Young Alumna Award; Dana Marzolf, ’81, Alumni Volunteer Award.
Stinger is a D&E graduate of the Class of 1981 and a decorated Olympic athlete. During her outstanding athletic career, she was named U.S. Handball Player of the Year in 1978 and 1982-83. Stinger would receive the MVP award for the gold medal-winning U.S. Team Handball team at the 1987 Pan American Games, and she was selected to run the torch in three Olympic Torch Relays in the U.S. Her balance of athletic and career work allowed her to focus on the Drug Control Program and Youth and Community Programs for the U.S. Olympic Committee from 1987-1996. Stinger served as board member of the USA Handball Foundation and the Olympians & Paralympians Relief Fund (OPRF), which she founded in 1999. She was recognized by the United States Olympic Endowment with the General Douglas MacArthur Award for exemplary service to the USOPC and athletes. Stinger retired in 2023 following a 35-year career and continues to volunteer as Executive Director of the OPRF. She graduated from D&E with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education in 1981, and she was inducted into the Davis & Elkins College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988.
Ramsdell, a graduate of D&E’s Class of 1974, graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Education before pursuing a career in Special Education. While a student at the College, she was a member of Alpha Chi and Alpha Phi Omega, recognized for honorary academics and service, respectively. She was also a member of the D&E College Choir and Student Christian Association and served as treasurer for the Student National Education Association. In 2014, Ramsdell established The Kathryn Dunbar Ramsdell Scholarship Fund to benefit Davis & Elkins College students majoring in Education who demonstrate achievement, leadership, and service while in college, and the promise of future service in the world. She was a significant contributor to the “Creating Home: It Takes a Village” Campaign that would see the completion of Glory Residence Hall. Ramsdell is also responsible for the name of the residence hall, honoring her faith-based relationship with the College. She and her husband, Harvey, celebrate their three children and enjoy spending time with their three grandchildren while remaining active with their church and various civic activities.
Stillwater is a two-time graduate of D&E, receiving her Associate of Science in Nursing and her Bachelor of Arts in Religion and Philosophy in 2013 and 2014, respectively. She would spend her junior and senior years as a student at the College working as an E.R. nurse at Davis Medical Center. Following her time at D&E, Stillwater attended Union Theological Seminary in New York City in pursuit of her Master of Divinity degree. While attending, she became a licensed nurse for the state of New York and worked as a chaplain resident at a Veterans hospital in Brooklyn. In 2017, Stillwater joined the Navy with the intention of becoming a Naval Chaplain, and in August of 2020, she was ordained as a reverend in the Unitarian Universalist Tradition. Stillwater serves as Lt. (junior grade) as a Naval Chaplain at the Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Ill.
Marzolf, member of the Class of 1981, began her education at Davis & Elkins College after moving to from Pittsburgh to Elkins in 1974. She would graduate from the College with a degree in Religion and Philosophy and a minor in Sociology. Marzolf’s life and career have been underscored with volunteering, as she became a helper at her elementary school in Pittsburgh. Marzolf’s love for books and the library would lead her to her work with the main branch of the Carnegie Library and the City and Allegheny County bookmobiles following her graduation from D&E. She transitioned to a career with Prince of Peace Presbyterian Church in Crofton, Maryland, of which she has since retired from her role as Director of Christian Education. Following retirement, Marzolf returned to Elkins and began volunteering once again at Booth Library on campus. She is directly responsible for archiving thousands of photos and related articles to help preserve the history of D&E and has enjoyed discovering historical facts about the College, Senators Davis and Elkins, and the City of Elkins.
D&E President Chris A. Wood adds, “It is difficult to select only a handful of outstanding alumni each year for these awards, for Davis & Elkins has truly contributed outstanding leaders in a plethora of fields and geographic regions. Nevertheless, this year’s recognized alumni are both outstanding and deserving. They have made their alma mater proud and left their legacies both here and in their communities. I am honored to present them with these awards which is always a highlight of our Homecoming celebration.
