2024 - Rose Mary Wood ▼

Rose Mary Wood, recipient of this year's Distinguished Alumni Award, took ten years to graduate from college and hasn't stopped learning since. She was enrolled in one of Kalamazoo Valley's first classes and loved her studies and her classmates. "Myself, being very social, loved the opportunity to meet new people and I was always excited to learn new things and ideas that others had," she said. "The instructors were very well versed in their subject material and seemed to really care about their students' success. It took me ten years to graduate in between the births of my children. Since I was interested in everything, I took many different types of classes and finally a special instructor told me to settle and make a decision and go forward."

She earned a B.A. at Western Michigan University with a major in English and minor in Elementary Education. She later earned Special Education endorsements from Nazareth College and WMU. She held teaching certificates in Colorado and Montana and while in Montana she was an evening newscaster. While completing her education and certifications as well as teaching, she and her husband adopted 15 children with special needs. She had 13 children at home during the time she earned her master's degree.

"In all of my past vocations, I was always drawn to those who needed help in some way. I've been a special education teacher and administrator, adoption mentor for the Department of Human Services, executive director for a non-profit and a professional advocate for people with disabilities," Wood said. "When I was asked to teach at Kalamazoo Valley in 2005 by Ron Miazga, my daughter who was a student at the college had been killed a few months before and this new job helped me focus on something other than my grief."

Wood said she learned the importance of helping others as a youngster. "My parents always taught us that we needed to reach out to others in need, so I grew up with the idea of helping. I was married at 17 and my husband and I wanted to instill in our children to live by the words 'how can I help?' Whenever we saw a need we tried to fill it with whatever our capabilities were at the time. We included our children at a young age to follow along and to understand that there were others in need and not to worry about their own needs."

Throughout the years, Wood and her husband and their children received many accolades for their service to the community. She officially retired in 2016 and turned her attention to art and travel. She is also writing a book about the history of Cass County. She entered Kalamazoo Valley's Alumni Art Show in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

She was humbled to be nominated for the Distinguished Alumni Award. "I know there are many people who deserve an award this like for their contributions to their communities," she said. "I love my time at Kalamazoo Valley Community College and feel that from starting as a student and becoming an instructor, I have come full circle." She encourages others to embrace change, keep things fresh and reach out for help when needed. "There are so many people who care," she said. "Seek them out. Don't be afraid to ask for help."

2023 - Scott W. Betzler ▼

Scott graduated from Kalamazoo Valley in 1990, and went on to Ferris State University, transferred to Wayne State University, ultimately earning his Bachelor of Science in December of 1992. While at Kalamazoo Valley, he was a member of the golf team and earned the Alfie Award from Coach Shilts. Also in 1992, he became a licensed funeral director and vice president of Betzler Funeral Home. Scott has earned distinction in his field through the many firsts he achieved at Betzler. In 2003 Betzler became the first Life Story funeral home in the country and in 2006 the Betzler Life Story Center was built. Scott is a past board member of the Kalamazoo Humane Society, volunteers with Mattawan Schools and serves on the board of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church.
https://www.kvcc.edu/news/stories/2023-04-12_Betzler.php

2021 - George N. Todd ▼

2021 saw George N. Todd named Distinguished Alumni. Mr. Todd recently retired as executive chairman of the board of directors at Kalsec, Inc. Mr. Todd attended Kalamazoo Valley from 1971 to 1979, and again 1986 to 1992, and went on to attend Western Michigan University. He is involved in supporting sustainable agriculture and education with Earth University in Costa Rica where he received an Honorary Doctor of Humanities. Mr. Todd is an inventor and holds five patents.

2019 - Eva L. Ozier ▼

Eva L. Ozier received the 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award from Kalamazoo Valley. Ms. Ozier earned her A.A. in Education at Kalamazoo Valley in 1971. She went on to earn a bachelor's and master's degrees from Western Michigan University. She taught for Kalamazoo Public Schools for 17 years and is the longest serving Kalamazoo County Commissioner having served for 22 years. Ms. Ozier's community involvement includes numerous organizations, Delta Sigma Theta sorority, The Kalamazoo Chapter of the N.A.A.C.P., the Homeless Advisory Council, the Community Mental Health Board, and the Head Start Policy Center.

2018 - Grace Baysinger ▼

Grace Baysinger, 2018's Distinguished Alumna, earned her A.A. in Science at Kalamazoo Valley in 1974. She went on to the University of Michigan earning a Bachelor of Science in botany and a Master of Arts in library science. Degrees in science and library science, coupled with work experience at prison and university libraries took her from the University of Michigan to Stanford. At the time of her selection as distinguished alumna, Ms. Baysinger was the head Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Librarian at Stanford University. She is a subject specialist for students, faculty and staff at Stanford. Grace was named an ACS Fellow by the American Chemical Society in 2017. Ms. Baysinger noted that she "values her Kalamazoo Valley experience so highly. Community colleges provide an important, vital niche in the education system."

2017 - Paul Abrahamsen ▼

Paul Abrahamsen was selected as 2017's Distinguished Alumni. Paul earned his A.A. in Liberal Arts at Kalamazoo Valley in 1978. Paul transferred to W.M.U., and then earned a doctorate degree from Ohio Northern University's Claude W. Pettit College of Law in 1983. At the time of the award, Paul celebrated 32 years with Legal Aid of Southwest Michigan. He was the pro bono program director for Legal Aid of Western Michigan and his dedication to the practice and the clients served was noted as extraordinary.

2015 - Phillip L. Potter, M.D. ▼

2015's Distinguished Alumni, Dr. Phillip Potter earned his A.A. in Science in 1971 at Kalamazoo Valley. Dr. Potter went on to serve in the Navy and completed his medical education in 1976, with honors, at Michigan State University. In 1980 he completed his OB/GYN residency at the University of Louisville and a fellowship in maternal fetal medicine at Duke University in 1982. Dr. Potter was Director of Obstetrics at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati OH and was elected President of the Cincinnati Society of Obstetrics & Gynecology. At the time of his selection as Distinguished Alumni, Dr. Potter was director of the Maternal Fetal Diagnostic Center of Atlanta and specialized in maternal-fetal medicine.

2014 - NoViolet Bulawayo ▼

NoViolet Bulawayo, who earned her A.A. in Liberal Arts at Kalamazoo Valley in 2003, was the 2014 Distinguished Alumni recipient. She went on to attend Texas A&M, Southern Methodist University and earned her M.F.A. at Cornell University. She was the recipient of fellowships at Stanford University, Harvard, Princeton and Cornell. NoViolet's book We Need New Names made her a world-renowned and multi-award-winning author. March 2022 saw her newest novel, Glory, published. Ms. Bulawayo is the recipient of numerous literary awards including the Gina Berriault Award for Fiction, Pen Hemingway Award, and the Etisalat Prize. NoViolet noted that "...I feel like KVCC is by far the most important school, because that's where my love for the written word took root. That's where I discovered myself as a writer. That's where I got the license to tell stories."

2013 - Jeffrey R. Melvin ▼

Jeffrey R. Melvin, who received his A.A. in Education at Kalamazoo Valley in 1978, was the first recipient of Kalamazoo Valley's Distinguished Alumni award and went on to earn his Master's degree. Melvin has 30 years of experience as an educator and at the time of his selection had served as Bangor High School Principal since 1997. He has said that Kalamazoo Valley was his first step toward success. "The people and the programs at Kalamazoo Valley guided me, a rural farm kid without a real goal, down the right career path," Melvin said. "Great instructors recognized my skills and challenged me to stretch and grow beyond my aspirations of baseball."