Awardees will be honored during the 2023 Homecoming Convocation ceremony.
Dr. Gia Crecelius ’91 is the recipient of the 2023 Louis T. Benezet Award.
At CC, Gia was a Barnes Scholarship recipient majoring in Chemistry. She participated in student government and was a member of the Delta Gamma sorority. She earned her M.D. from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine and then completed a residency in adult psychiatry and a fellowship in child psychiatry at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute. For the next six years, she was the medical director of a residential treatment facility that cared for children in the Los Angeles foster care and delinquency systems. In 2008, she became the medical director of Los Angeles County Juvenile Court Mental Health Services. In 2011, she was honored as Employee of the Year by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health for her leadership in developing new protocols to ensure that children in the dependency and delinquency systems receive appropriate and effective care. Both Los Angeles County and the State of California have adopted these protocols. In addition to her work for Los Angeles County, Dr. Crecelius serves children of immigrant and low economic status families at a community health clinic. She not only provides psychiatric care, but also helps families navigate the complex health system in Los Angeles.
David Banks ’77 is the recipient of the 2023 Lloyd E. Worner Award.
At CC, David majored in Sociology, joined the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, wrote for The Nugget, was a DJ on KRCC, skied part of Pikes Peak, and captained the men’s rugby team. In 1993, David organized the first Homecoming student vs. alumni rugby match. Now an annual event, it often includes pre-game dinners and post-game celebrations. In 2007, fellow alumni, parents, and friends created the Rugby Club Endowment, which annually helps fund the CC Rugby Club. With the rise of women’s rugby, David’s alumni adopted the guiding principle of “One club, two teams,” whereby all fundraising supports both the men’s and women’s teams. In 2017, to mark the rugby club’s 50th year, David organized a golden celebration featuring players from the very first team and the telling of the official history of rugby at Colorado College. Nominators credit David’s “infectious enthusiasm,” “wit,” “commitment,” and “selflessness,” for “almost single-handedly” maintaining rugby as a viable club sport at CC. As rugby’s “biggest cheerleader,” he has been a friend and mentor to many individual rugby players. David is credited with promoting a welcoming atmosphere, putting student desire to be part of a team and to learn and play rugby safely ahead of other considerations. We honor David for his ardent and unflagging support of rugby and the physical, mental, fun, and social benefits it offers CC students.
Dr. Emily Chan is the recipient of the 2023 Gresham Riley Award.
Emily joined CC’s Psychology Department in 2004 and now serves as Dean of the Faculty. She has taught courses in Asian and Asian American studies, social psychology, prejudice and stereotyping, and research design. Professor Chan has instructed, advised, mentored, and researched with countless students, many of whom still rely on her guidance and friendship as alumni. From 2014–2018, she served as associate dean of academic programs and strategic initiatives. In that role, she oversaw strategy, operations, and implementation of international study, field study, summer session, and ADEI initiatives for students and faculty. She also worked collaboratively with the college community to shape and implement the pre-college summer program, student grants program, mentored student research program, study abroad enrollment and financial aid management, and the evolution of a new faculty multi-dimensional mentoring program and chair leadership program. She transformed CC’s Bridge Scholars, a program for academic success and holistic thriving for BIPOC and first-generation students. Professor Chan also previously served as director of the Race, Ethnicity & Migration Studies program. We honor Professor Chan for her tireless and ongoing commitment to the welfare of CC students and faculty through her teaching, mentorship, and leadership on ADEI initiatives.
William Jankowski ’67 is the recipient of the 2023 Spirit of Adventure Award.
At CC, Bill majored in zoology, played football and baseball, and was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. After CC, he completed two years of graduate school at the University of Wyoming in wildlife biology. With the draft looming, he chose to join the U.S. Air Force, completing Officer Training School and pilot training. In 1972, he went to Vietnam, flying the O-2A Skymaster as a Forward Air Controller. During one mission, his aircraft was hit by an SA-7 missile forcing him to parachute into a hostile combat zone. The next day, his first rescue helicopter was also shot down, but he survived and was rescued by another helicopter. Bill was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star with ‘V’ device, and several other medals. He earned an M.S. in Systems Management from the University of Southern California in 1975. Bill also served with the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve completing almost 35 years of military service. In 2003, he was called to active duty for Operation Enduring Freedom as a B-52 pilot. In 2006, he started flying as a wildfire observer for the U.S. Forest Service throughout the U.S. We honor Bill for his adventurous service to his country as both a military and civilian aviator.