Normally, Glen Oaks Community College (GOCC) announces the recipients of its Special Recognition awards during its spring commencement ceremony. However, after the ongoing pandemic led to the cancellation of the 2020 ceremony, GOCC President Dr. David Devier said the college “made the decision to include the 2020 graduates as part of the May, 2021 commencement ceremony.”

In the meantime, Devier said, “the college wishes to announce several individuals who are being recognized this year.” Devier’s announcement came in a press release issued by GOCC Tuesday. There is a total of five awards. Four of the awards each has one recipient, while one award has two recipients.

The first award is called the E.J. Shaheen Chair for Teaching Excellence. It was initiated in 1984 through a donation by its namesake, who was one of GOCC’s original board members. Shaheen was a professor, lawyer, and business owner who “placed a high value on education and spent much of his later life promoting high-quality education and education institutions, including Glen Oaks,” the press release said.

The 2020 recipient of the E.J. Shaheen Chair for Teaching Excellence is Bill Lederman. Lederman is a Professor of Nursing who received his LPN training at GOCC. From there, he received an Associate Degree in nursing from New Mexico State University, a Bachelor’s in nursing from Indiana-Purdue University in Fort Wayne, a Master’s in educational leadership from Western Michigan University, and a Master’s in nursing from Goshen College.

Lederman has taught at GOCC since 1986. His wife, Janell, is retired from the nursing faculty. According to the press release, Lederman “has a strong passion for education. He is said to work hard to make sure that his students not only understand the content, but he instills in them the importance of thinking about and understanding their values.” He teaches a range of nursing courses ranging from obstetrics and pediatrics to ethics and math. In his leisure time, he enjoys reading and working on landscaping projects.

For GOCC’s 2020 Outstanding Service Award, the recognition will be going to Larry Diekman, who is the college’s Director of Buildings and Grounds and Public Safety Director. Diekman has worked at GOCC since 2014 and assumed his current title in 2017. According to Tuesday’s press release, Diekman is “easygoing, gets the job done, and when it comes to helping others, he has a heart of gold. He has a positive attitude and is respected by everyone.

Diekman attended classes at GOCC in the late 1970s, and has trained at the Michigan State Police Academy, Lansing Community College, and the Ingham County Sheriff’s Department Academy. His hobbies center around outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, and sports.

Loran Wingfield, who goes by “Larry,” is the 2020 recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award which “recognizes alumni who have distinguished themselves through professional excellence and personal service.” Wingfield is retired from a career in aerospace. He graduated from GOCC in 1983 with an Associate of Science degree, having begun his post-secondary education with a music scholarship to the college.

In pursuit of his aerospace career, Wingfield received a Bachelor’s in Engineering from Tri-State University, which is what Trine University was called at the time. At Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, which is located in Dayton, Ohio, he participated in an engineering co-op program, and went to work full time at the base upon graduation.

Wingfield subsequently worked at Arnold Air Force Base in Tennessee. For nine years, he was employed at the Pentagon in the Missile Defense Agency. There, he carried out “multiple assignments in test work, deployment of U.S. and Allied missile defense capabilities, and other, classified work.” He relocated to Huntsville, Alabama in 2008, and retired in 2019.

GOCC’s Part-Time Faculty Teaching Excellence Award this year goes to Marlene Livingston. The award recognizes GOCC employees “for outstanding performance and contributions to the college,” and can go to a “part-time faculty member or adjunct who demonstrates excellence in teaching and who reflects the value of education to students.”

Livingston is an Allied Health Instructor who has taught at GOCC since 2004. Livingston said the “most exciting part about teaching is seeing the pride as her students learn new skills and progress to the point of being able to carry out hands-on training by themselves.” Tuesday’s release said she is always flexible and “willing to be able to do what is needed to make sure students are successful in their studies.”

A Grand Rapids native, Livingston attended Grand Rapids Junior College, where she studied Practical Nursing. She holds an Associate in Nursing degree from Grace College, which is located in Winona Lake, Indiana. She and her husband live in Portage where they enjoy biking, walking, and nature.

There are two recipients of GOCC’s Athletic Hall of Fame Awards, including C.B. Gordon, Jr., and Joel Mishler. The award recognizes GOCC community members “for outstanding achievement as an athlete, coach, team, administrator, staff, or contributor to sports” who have “brought distinction to themselves and the college through their achievement, commitment, sportsmanship, and leadership in athletics.”

Gordon, who attended GOCC from 1968 to 1970, received the nickname “Genghis Khan” from fans and newspapers because he “stood out as a marvel on the basketball court,” Tuesday’s release said. Gordon, who passed away in 2018, was a graduate of Muskegon Heights Public Schools, and was the first Glen Oaks Viking in any sport to receive All-American recognition from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).

Gordon turned down an offer to play basketball with the Dallas Chaparrals, instead choosing to play NFL football with the Philadelphia Eagles. He later became a minister, leading several ministries across the United States. “His talk, ‘Big Man with a Big Message,’ was said to be soul-stirring,” according to the release, and Gordon was active in many community organizations. His passion was in mentoring and working with inner-city youth.

The other Athletic Hall of Fame Award recipient is Joel Mishler, who coached GOCC Viking baseball from 1992 to 2002. Under his leadership, Mishler’s teams advanced to regional competitions for nine straight years. In the spring of 2000, the Vikings team won regionals, and took third place nationally in NJCAA Division II.

In addition to his coaching work at GOCC, Mishler owned and operated a restaurant, bakery, and bed and breakfast for 21 years. He is currently teaching business at Northwood High School in Nappanee, Indiana, and is an Associate Scout for the Florida Marlins. He is also a partner in the Indiana Chargers Baseball Academy in Goshen.

Dave Vago is a writer and columnist for Watershed Voice. A Philadelphia native with roots in Three Rivers, Vago is a planning consultant to history and community development organizations and is the former Executive Director of the Three Rivers DDA/Main Street program.