Nebraska Wesleyan University will honor outstanding alumni as part of its Legends & Legacies banquet on October 3 at 6 p.m. at the Country Club of Lincoln during homecoming weekend.
Here are this year’s award winners.
Bernie Olsen (’75)
ALUMNI MEDAL OF HONOR
“NWU was a place of growth and opportunity for me,” Bernie Olsen said. “My professors opened doors for me to explore future directions.”
Those openings led Olsen to a PhD in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a career in drug development. He was a senior research fellow at Eli Lilly & Company, and is now a consultant for Olsen Pharmaceutical Consulting, LLC.
Olsen has helped develop more than 25 commercial drugs. He published and lectured internationally, and has chaired a committee for the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention, which creates public standards that help ensure the quality, safety and benefit of medicines and foods.
Olsen served on the NWU Board of Governors and was a founding member of the President's Board of Advisors.
Alynn (High) Sampson (’06)
YOUNG ALUMNI LOYALTY AWARD
As youth and family programs director at the Food Bank of Lincoln, Alynn Sampson develops and runs programs that reach more than 5,000 children and families in 16 counties throughout southeast Nebraska.
Sampson graduated from NWU with a bachelor’s degree in social work and received her Master of Social Work from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. “My time at Nebraska Wesleyan prepared me for real-life experiences as well as the expectations of graduate school,” she said. “I will always be grateful for Wesleyan and the opportunities I have to give back.”
Sampson is a regular guest speaker at NWU, works with senior social work majors completing their capstone courses, has served on numerous panels and committees, and has helped create a food pantry on the NWU campus.
David Dyke (’63)
ALUMNI LOYALTY AWARD
David Dyke is a member of NWU’s Doctors for Science, a group of generous doctors who helped fund Acklie Hall of Science. One of its first members, Dyke was instrumental in rallying support for the project. He also served on the Alumni Executive Council.
After graduating from NWU and UNMC, Dyke completed his residency at the Mayo Clinic and served in the U.S. Air Force as an internist. He then spent 35 years practicing gastroenterology, served as chief of staff at Bryan Memorial Hospital, and later served on the Bryan System Board.
“I departed NWU with confidence and a focused attitude, essential ingredients for the eventual success achieved,” he said. He also departed NWU hand-in-hand with his wife of 55 years, Elaine (Dorr) Dyke(’63).
Deb (Jones) Frison (’77)
ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Deb Frison is a veteran educator with 42 years of leadership and administrative experience in addition to teaching music with Omaha Public Schools. She serves as deputy commissioner of school improvement for the Nebraska Department of Education. She is also a first-generation high school graduate.
“My success was cemented because of the high expectations of my NWU professors,” she said. “They never allowed me to doubt I would do anything other than succeed.”
Frison served on the NWU Board of Governors and is currently co-chair of the President's Board of Advisors. She received an Honorary Doctorate of Pedagogy from NWU in 2015 and was commencement speaker in 2016.
Mary Beth (Gottula) Byrne (’62)
ALUMNI HUMANITARIAN AWARD
“I am so grateful for my experiences at NWU,” Mary Beth Byrne said. “It was the foundation of my career and the anchor of my life.”
After graduating from NWU with a bachelor’s degree in education, Byrne earned a master’s degree in counseling. She has served diverse and underserved populations as a teacher, counselor and guidance director, “always aiming to help others achieve their dreams.” She also directed rehabilitation and personnel at Goodwill Industries.
Later, Byrne attended seminary and became an ordained deacon in the United Methodist Church. She most recently served as a volunteer counselor at Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe, and as the coordinator of caring ministries with First UMC in Whitewater, Wis.
Noel Frisbie (’66)
JOHN ROSENTRATER ACT OF VALOR AWARD
After graduating from NWU, Noel Frisbie taught high school biology for one year before enlisting in the U.S. Air Force. He had always been fascinated with airplanes. The fact that Frisbie had never actually been in an airplane didn’t stop him.
Only two years later, he was deployed to Vietnam, where he flew 216 combat missions and served as a search and rescue pilot. He then served 20 years as a flight instructor. He retired from the Air Force as lieutenant colonel and continued to teach around the country—from Alaska to Grand Island, Neb.
“The years spent at NWU were monumental in shaping my life,” he said. “I have been teaching others ever since!” But his most monumental NWU memory: meeting his wife, Joyce Furst Frisbie(’67).