Distinguished Alumni Awards

North Park honors alumni from the academy, university, and seminary.

ARMOUR SWANSON C’52

Distinguished Alumni Award

Armour Swanson C’52, 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, has been a success in life by many measures, but especially the one that counts most: his faith. A longtime supporter of North Park and former member of the Board of Trustees, Swanson has inspired generations of North Parkers with his devotion to Christ.

“Armour Swanson is not only a loyal and devoted supporter of North Park, but he is also one of the finest human beings

I have been privileged to know,” said longtime friend and fellow North Parker Dr. G. Timothy Johnson C’56 S’63. “He combines intelligence and humility in a way that has been very helpful to North Park in so many ways.”

Swanson continued his education at Northwestern University, then went on to a successful career in business, eventually ending up as president and CEO of Zenith Splintered Products. He and his beloved late wife, Bev, eventually retired to their home in Hartland, Wisconsin, where they stayed active in their church and doing volunteer activities. Swanson was accompanied at the induction by the two sons and daughter he shares with Bev.

DEBBIE BLUE S’96

North Park Theological Seminary Distinguished Alumni Award

Debbie Blue S’96 received the North Park Theological Seminary Distinguished Alumni Award at the Covenant Midwinter Conference, held in Jacksonville, Florida, in January. Alumna and seminary lecturer since 2000, Blue, who was born and raised in Chicago, is the mother of three adult children and seven grandchildren.

She left a career in bioengineering in 1993 to answer God’s call to ministry. “Debbie is a humble servant-leader who continues to serve others in all she does and, in every instance, shines a positive, encouraging light on North Park,” said Dennis Edwards, seminary dean and vice president for church relations.

KAREN KELLY C’12

Distinguished Young Alumni Award

Karen Kelly C’12 has had more international adventures than people decades her senior. The daughter of missionaries, Janice C’72 and Rev. Tomas E, Kelly C’72, S’78, she grew up in Mexico City and is currently director of partnerships for Laboratoria, a Latin American organization that teaches students life skills such as computer coding. After graduation, the double major in French and global studies received the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship. As part of her grant, Kelly taught secondary school in Andorra. She followed that with service-based positions in Latin America and the Caribbean, where she worked with high school students and their families. Amidst her travels, Kelly also found time to serve her alma mater, sharing her unique perspectives, insights, and expertise as a member of

DAVID CARLSON A’57 C’59

Distinguished Academy Alumni Award

When it was time for David Carlson A’57 to attend high school, his parents chose the best option in the neighborhood: North Park Academy. It turned out to be the right call, with Carlson going on to study at Northwestern University and enjoying a long, successful career in manufacturing and financial services.

“I would not be who I am today without North Park,” Carlson said. “That foundation has stayed and grown with me, it’s been the foundation of who I am. North Park’s faculty didn’t just teach, they cared.”

Carlson’s career culminated in senior vice president roles at both Paine Webber and UBS. He and his wife Brenda have been extremely generous in giving and volunteer work with many charities, including North Park, where they have endowed the David and Brenda Carlson Scholarships.

North Park’s College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Board.

At the ceremony, Director of Alumni Engagement Jamie Kratowicz C’11 introduced a video of Kelly, who was in Peru, by recalling their first meeting as North Park students. “Even with her worldly insight compared to my very sheltered life up to that point, Karen was warm, gracious, welcoming, and kind,” she said.

Celebrating the Class of 2023

More than 400 students joined the ranks of North Park alumni during two commencement ceremonies in May. For the first time, the undergraduate and graduate students had one combined spring ceremony in Helwig Recreation Center. Bringing so many graduates together made for an especially festive and jubilant atmosphere.

Chase Friel, Bachelor of Arts in Biblical and Theological Studies and Politics and Government; Karl Anthony Hidalgo, Bachelor of Science in Biology; and Patrycja Miazek, Bachelor of Science in Business from the undergraduate class of 2023 were presented with the Ahnfeldt Medallion, which is awarded to the students with the highest grade-point average. The class of 1973 were inducted into the Golden Circle with a weekend full of events and reminiscing.

At the North Park Theological Seminary commencement on Saturday afternoon, an Honorary Doctor of Ministry was conferred on Mark Novak S’79 in recognition for his many years of leadership and service to the Evangelical Covenant Church. Dr. Willie Peterson, assistant to the superintendent of the Midsouth Conference, charged the graduates “Why should you not dream of God using you to do what no one else has done?”

Blue and Gold Day raises $271K

The funds raised go to scholarships, athletics, student funds.

Nearly 700 donors gave $271,000 to North Park as part of the university’s eighth annual Blue and Gold Day celebration in April.

During the festive outdoor event, students, staff, and faculty donned blue and gold tee-shirts and took to the greenspace in front of the Johnson Center. As part of the annual tradition, they formed into a large shape, this time the flag of the City of Chicago, and posed for a photo taken from the Johnson Center roof. Afterward, the entire community was invited to participate in a campus-wide 5K fun run.

Once the numbers were in, the classes of 1972 and 1993 were declared winners for highest class participation. For the first time this year, donors were invited to give specifically to their favorite athletic program, with men’s football leading the group with 105 individual donations, followed by women’s soccer with 63 and men’s basketball with 32. Women’s tennis, meanwhile, was recognized for best effort, outpacing their original goal by 150%, tallying 28 donations when they’d projected for 18.

Money raised on Blue and Gold Day goes toward the Student Care Fund, the North Park Scholarship Fund, and the Viking Club.