GSPIA honors 2008 Distinguished Alumni
This month, GSPIA honored two of the three 2008 recipients of the Distinguished Alumnus Award. Congressman Jim Moran (MPA ' 73) of the eighth district of Virginia arrived at GSPIA's graduation luncheon on Friday, April 25 to receive his award. He gave a keynote speech and urged graduates to embrace their passion for their careers in public service. He noted that he became interested in politics as a means to effect positive change, and challenged the graduating class of 2008 to find their own way of making an impact.
Congressman Moran has served in Congress since 1989. He is an active member of the Appropriations Committee and co-chairs the Congressional Prevention Coalition Caucus. He is co-founder of the New Democrat Coalition, a group of centrist House Democrats committed to free trade, fiscal responsibility, and maintaining America's security and economic competitiveness. In accepting his award, Moran said that he is "proud to be a GSPIA graduate."
On Saturday, April 26, at GSPIA's Honors and Graduation Celebration, Mrs. Charlene Flaherty, wife of the late Mayor of Pittsburgh Peter "Pete" Flaherty (MPA '67), accepted the Distinguished Alumnus Award on behalf of her husband. Mrs. Flaherty remembered her husband as a person who was truly committed to public service, and recalled his kind-hearted nature to his friends, family, and the people he served.
Pete Flaherty was elected Mayor of Pittsburgh in a landslide election in 1969. He ran on an independent platform, calling himself "Nobody's Boy." Flaherty instituted reform and a frugal approach to governing, and gave neighborhood organizations a voice in government. He was reelected to a second term, but left to serve in President Jimmy Carter's administration as deputy attorney general. Flaherty returned to Pittsburgh and served as Allegheny County Commissioner until his retirement in 1995.
Each recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award has demonstrated significant accomplishments and dedication to public service throughout his or her career, and exemplifies GSPIA's mission of building a better world. Awards will be given to one local, one national, and one international GSPIA alumnus each year, beginning in 2008. For a list of Distinguished Alumni awardees and important school milestones, please visit this webpage.
The third Distinguished Alumnus Award of 2008 will be given later this year at GSPIA's 50th anniversary celebration during the University of Pittsburgh Homecoming and Family Weekend. Check the GSPIA website often for updates and information on the 50th anniversary.
|
