West Campus
September Graduation
From left, Class 063 salutatorian Deborah Vitale, and co-valedictorians
Corinne Willner and Lisa Goodman, are recognized at the
West Campus September graduation. |
Forty-five graduates received their D.C. degrees at Palmer’s
West Campus commencement Sept. 7, in the theater of
the Santa Clara Convention Center. This ceremony marked
the 25th anniversary of Palmer West’s first graduation in
September 1981.
Lisa Goodman and Corrine Willner graduated as co-valedictorians,
and Deborah Vitale was the salutatorian of the
West Campus’ 99th graduating class. Clinical Excellence
honors were presented to Kyle Pittet for the Tasman Clinic
and to Vidur Jindal for the clinic in Santa Clara. Dominic
Pisaro received the Virgil V. Strang Philosophy Award, and
Cuong Huynh received the Student Fellow Award for
“unselfish service and dedication to the betterment of
Palmer’s West Campus experience.” Louis Sportelli, D.C.,
a 1963 Davenport Campus graduate and president of
National Chiropractic Mutual Insurance Company, deliv-
Florida Campus ered the commencement address.
September
Graduation
Graduates of Class 063 take part in their graduation ceremonies on Sept. 22. |
The Florida Campus also celebrated a
graduation in September, with 36 students
graduating from that campus in
its third commencement ceremony on
Sept. 22, at Bethune-Cookman College’s
Mary McLeod Bethune Performing Arts
Center in Daytona Beach.
Top honors went to Brandon Blood,
valedictorian; Shawn Doerrfeld,
salutatorian; Joshua Handt, Virgil V.
Strang Philosophy Award winner; and
Thaddeus Gala, Clinical Excellence
Award recipient. Florida Campus
Professor Anne Canty, Ph.D., L.C.P.
(Hon.), delivered the commencement
address. This class was designated the Scott T. LaLiberte Memorial
Class, in honor of their classmate who was killed in a car accident in
September 2004. The class held a special service to dedicate a Florida
red maple tree planted on the campus in his memory on Sept. 21.
Davenport Campus
October Graduation
Davenport Campus graduates switch their tassels at their
October 2006 convocation. |
Commencement ceremonies on Oct. 20, in Lyceum Hall on
the Davenport Campus marked the graduation of 163 Doctor
of Chiropractic, six Associate of Science in Chiropractic
Technology and four Master of Science in Clinical Research
degree recipients.
Awards were given to four valedictorians: Melanie Cook, Jordan
Linder, Lisa Shefchik and Matthew Taylor. The salutatorians
were Michael LaBounty and Coree Snyder. Lee Matthis received
the Virgil V. Strang Philosophy Award and Amy Rudder won the
Clinical Excellence Award. The John Connolly Memorial Award
for scholarship and involvement in Palmer and community
organizations was presented to Michael LaBounty. Florida
Campus Dean of Academic Affairs Donald Gran, D.C., M.S.Ed.,
was the commencement speaker, and Davenport Campus Vice
President for Student Affairs Kevin Cunningham, D.C., Ph.D.,
was the Honors Convocation speaker. This graduation was a
special occasion for the Judge family, with two members graduating,
making a total of 32 chiropractors in the family. (See
related story on pages 13-14.)
West Campus
December Graduation
Thirty graduates received their D.C. degrees at Palmer’s
West Campus graduation in the theater of the Santa Clara
Convention Center on Dec. 4. The ceremony was the 100th
commencement since the West Campus’ inaugural graduation
in September 1981.
Adrienne Young and Brent Brown graduated as valedictorian
and salutatorian, respectively. Clinical Excellence honors
were presented to Jill Thomson for the Tasman Clinic and
to Brent Brown for the clinic in Santa Clara. Aaron Wiegand
received the Virgil V. Strang Philosophy Award, and Julie
Kruse received the Student Fellow Award. Mark Charrette,
D.C., a 1980 graduate of the Davenport Campus, presented
the commencement address.
Florida Campus
December Graduation
Palmer’s Florida Campus celebrated its fourth graduation on
Dec. 15, at Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach.
Seventy-two students received their Doctor of Chiropractic
degrees during the graduation convocation, which featured a
commencement address by Thomas E. Hyde, D.C., DACBSP.
Co-valedictorians were Nicholas Cammarata and Veronica Elko,
and the salutatorian was Kenneth Layne Berry. The Virgil V.
Strang Philosophy Award was presented to Justin Thomas Ohm,
and the recipient of the Clinical Excellence Award was Todd
Gregory Mexico.