STEUBENVILLE, OHIO—Franciscan University of Steubenville honored seven exceptional alumni at the 34th annual Alumni Awards Banquet held October 6 during the 2023 Homecoming Weekend.

Father Dave Pivonka, TOR ’89, president of Franciscan University, congratulated and thanked the honorees.

“I want to honor those of you who were honored today,” he said. “I’m proud of you as the president of the University, and I’m proud as a colleague and a fellow alum.”

Recalling when St. Francis stood on the edge of the Umbrian valley and said, The world will be my cloister,” Father Pivonka told the audience, “This is exactly what the mind of St. Francis was, that the temporal order was going to be changed by men and women of faith who were willing to go out, to have a family, to be in the world, and to bring about transformation and change.”

The late John Romanoski ’51 received the John J. Carrigg Award for his lifetime of exemplary service both in and out of the classroom. A World War II army veteran, Romanoski devoted his life to teaching and to serving his community as a volunteer fireman. He continued to serve others into his 90s, including distributing Communion on Sundays, during his stay at the Rolling Hills Rehab and Nursing Center in Bridgeport, Ohio. He passed away on July 23.

Dr. Brian Tullius ’03 MA ’04 received the Father Dan Egan Alumni Award for his tireless devotion to his patients and work as research medical director for Pediatric Cellular Therapy at AdventHealth for Children in Orlando, Florida. A former flight surgeon in the U.S. Navy, he not only cares directly for children who have cancer but is also seeking new ways to treat their disease.

“This is the approach I take as a scientist, seeking to understand the world God has created through his light,” Tullius said. “In clinical medicine, that takes on a more practical approach of endeavoring to see the light of Christ emanating from each patient. I’m so grateful to this University for ensuring my founding moments in academia would teach me how inextricable faith is from science and medicine.”

Chad Wilson ’01 received the Alumni Citizenship Award for helping lawmakers to pass laws that improve people’s lives during his many years as a lobbyist for Nationwide Insurance. Most recently, he worked on a distracted-driving law that prohibits holding a phone while driving in Ohio, which promises to save countless lives. He and his wife, Chrissy (Quinn ’01) Wilson, faced challenges as adoptive parents, which inspired Wilson’s efforts on passing a law in Ohio to provide low-interest loans for adoptive parents.

“At Franciscan University, the culture here is that you’re lifted up,” said Wilson, accepting the award. “I surely was lifted up to make a difference, and for that I am forever grateful. I love how the University strives for all of us to find our personal vocations. God is calling all of us to go out and use our strengths.”

Robert Cruess ’09 received the Prof. Edward J. Kelly Award for his achievements in business and leadership in the field of clean technology. A visionary entrepreneur, he co-founded ZeroNox, a California-based company with a focus on electric powertrains, batteries, microgrids, and other clean technology solutions. Today, ZeroNox is considered a leader in off-highway electrification of commercial and industrial vehicles.

“All of our vocations, whether it’s working in business, being a priest, being a parent, or whatever it may be, we have that call to excellence,” said Cruess. “All the good we do doesn’t get wasted. It’s left with our children and those we have an impact on, and I see that with the University and the impact it has and will continue to have.”

Tim Glemkowski ’11 received the Bishop John King Mussio Award for his tireless efforts to further the Church’s mission to make joyful disciples of Christ. An active Catholic speaker, writer, and teacher, he now serves as executive director of the National Eucharistic Congress, which will take place July 17-21, 2024, in Indianapolis. Founder of the L’Alto Catholic Institute to renew parishes, he and his wife, Maggie (Boudreau ’11) Glemkowski, have four children.

Prudence Robertson ’19 received the Outstanding Young Alumni Award for her exceptional work on behalf of life as anchor of EWTN Pro-Life Weekly. Before joining EWTN in 2022, she was a communications associate for SBA Pro-Life America, where an internship after her junior year at Franciscan led to a job with the organization following graduation.

Accepting the award, Robertson thanked her parents for sending her to a place like Franciscan University where she was formed in the truth.

“We’re living in a time where the next generation is really being bombarded with lies,” she said. “As alumni from Franciscan formed in the truth, I think it’s more important now than ever for us to be out there in the world spreading the truth and continuing to share the message of Franciscan with the world.”

The late Mary (Anderson ’99) Zimmerman received the Rose M. Defede Faithful Franciscan Award for her unfailing dedication and service to Franciscan University for more than 20 years. Zimmerman served in the Christian Outreach Office and in Alumni Relations since 2008. Beloved by her coworkers and friends, she had a gift to make everyone feel at home at Franciscan with her warmth, wit, and joyful, loving personality. Her love and service to others were undiminished even as she battled cancer for the better part of two decades. She passed away peacefully on December 4, 2022.

Accepting the award on her behalf, her husband, Tony Zimmerman, spoke about his wife’s love for the University and how she did not like the spotlight but was more concerned about the “intention” of helping others rather than getting any “attention.”

Recalling how she made gift bags for fellow patients during her years of chemotherapy, he said, “At work and in her personal life, she just wanted to help others without receiving recognition.”

View and download photos of the 2023 Alumni Awards Banquet here.