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Reiff honored by Massachusetts Service Alliance

John Reiff, director of Civic Engagement and Service-Learning, was honored June 6 by the Massachusetts Service Alliance, which gave him its Higher-Education Community Service Champion award during the Massachusetts Conference on Service & Volunteering in Marlborough.

The award recognizes faculty members who have rendered exceptional educational, humanitarian, civic or other service in their community in addition to the honoree’s primary university responsibilities.

On verge of retirement, Phyllis Berman reflects on her 40-year career

After driving to campus for 40 years, Phyllis Berman says could likely do it blindfolded, but promises not to try.
 
Come June 30, the research and administrative associate in Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences is retiring, concluding a career that spanned a slew of departmental mergers, involved a string of collateral duties and witnessed technological advances that seemed fantastic back in 1973, when she received her B.S. in Public Health.
 
Immediately after graduation, she began working for Mark Mount of the Plant Pathology Department.

Obituary: Dorothy Burke, retired head of residence

Dorothy M. (Hopper) Burke, 102, of Amherst, a retired head of residence, died June 16.

Born in Highland, N.Y., she was educated in the Newburgh, N.Y., public schools and graduated from Cornell University in 1932.

She was married to James W. Burke of Waverly, N.Y., in 1932 and they were divorced in 1958.

She came to Amherst in 1935. From 1956-66, she was employed at the Amherst Journal Record, first as a stringer, then as assistant editor, and from 1964-66 as news editor.
 
Burke was hired by the Dean of Women's Office in 1966 as the first head of residence in Patterson House in Southwest.

Shabazz to be honored by UnityFirst.com

Amilcar Shabazz, professor of Afro-American Studies and faculty advisor to the chancellor for diversity and excellence, has been chosen by Springfield-based UnityFirst.com to receive its Common Ground award for “leadership, excellence and role model example for generations to come.”
 
Shabazz will receive the award on June 22 as UnityFirst.com, a communications consulting group that specializes in the online distribution of diversity-related e-news, holds its 2013 Common Ground Leadership Awards and Resource Reception at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. The program begins at 10:30 a.m.
 

Obituary: Paul Huner, alumnus, retired storekeeper in Athletics

Paul C. L. Huner, 80, of Amherst, alumnus and former storekeeper II in the Athletic Department, died June 14 at Linda Manor Extended Care Facility of complications associated with a decade-long struggle with dementia.
 
He was born in Medan on the island of Sumatra to a family of Dutch cigar tobacco growers.

Forced to return to the Netherlands by the threat of Japanese invasion in 1939, only to endure German occupation throughout most of World War II, his family did so relatively well by once again relying upon their agrarian roots.

Thereafter, he followed his father and older brothers in

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