Three Generations to Celebrate Graduation; MacDougall to Receive Westmont Medal

Three generations will gather for Commencement at 10 a.m. May 4 on Carr Field to celebrate the latest recipient in the family of a Westmont degree.

Kirsten White will receive her bachelor’s degree in English, while her parents, Steve and Sharon Gerlach White (‘76 and ‘78 graduates, respectively), watch with her grandparents, Harlan and Ruth Gerlach. The Gerlachs will be celebrating their Golden Warrior anniversary: They graduated from Westmont in 1952.

As Golden Warriors, the Gerlachs will march in with their granddaughter and the other graduates for the ceremonies.

Kirsten is a member of three honor societies: Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society, Phi Sigma Tau National Philosophy Honor Society and Sigma Tau Delta National Honor Society in English.

Chancellor David Winter, who served as president of the college for 25 years, will give the Commencement address to send off the class of 2002, and the Westmont Medal will be awarded to Peter MacDougall, president of Santa Barbara City College.

The Westmont Medal is given each year by the college to recognize those in our community whose lives embody the very principles associated with the Christian character of the college: integrity, service, compassion, responsibility, faithfulness, discipline and generosity. Past recipients are Penny Jenkins, Larry Crandell, Dr. Ramon Vidauri of Ensenada, Mexico, Anita Mackey, Stewart and Katherine Abercrombie, and Betty Rosness.

MacDougall, who is retiring this summer after 21 years with SBCC, has been a powerful and effective leader in higher education and in the Santa Barbara community. He has served on numerous community and state boards and organizations, including Cottage Hospital, Channel City Club, United Way, Santa Barbara Partners in Education, Fighting Back, Santa Barbara Coalition for Children, Beyond Tolerance and the Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce.

He has also served on committees of the Scholarship Foundation, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Anti-Defamation League, Boy Scouts of America, Santa Barbara Rescue Mission, the Lobero Theater Foundation and many more.

As president of City College, he has served on numerous state education advisory boards and committees, and is active with California Community College Chief Executive Officers and the Community College League of California.

MacDougall graduated from the University of Rhode Island and received his master’s degree in education from Rhode Island College. He received his doctorate in counselor education and college counseling from Pennsylvania State University.

He was an associate professor and associate dean of students at Rutgers University in New Jersey before heading west to Los Angeles in 1975, where he was dean of student services at Los Angeles Pierce College. In 1980 he became director of student services and educational services with the Los Angeles Community College District. He moved to Santa Barbara to become superintendent/president of City College in 1981.

MacDougall and his wife, Leslie, have three children, the youngest of whom will graduate this spring from UC Santa Cruz.

For more information, call the public affairs office at (805) 565-7057, or e-mail pubaffairs@westmont.edu.