Ball State's Perham Committee was established around 1997 tohonor the memory of Bernadette H. Perham, who served as a BallState mathematical sciences professor for 16 years. Meyer said thecommittee looks for women who, like Perham, have made significantcontributions to all facets of life in Indiana through theirservice and dedication.
"Bernadette Perham contributed in a variety of ways. Her innatedecency served as a role model for everyone who came in contactwith her," Meyer said. "She was a strong advocate for treatingeveryone equally and fairly, and the award recipients are a verydistinguished group of people who have achieved a great deal."
Ball State seniors Kate Endress and Lori Jacquemin said they arepleased to be two of six Indiana women to receive the 2004 PerhamIndiana Women of Achievement Award for their personal andprofessional accomplishments.
And as roommates, they are even more pleased they get to sharethe honor with each other.
"We're involved in different activities, but we both strive tobe successful," Jacquemin said. "The (Perham Committee) looks forpeople with strong leadership abilities and women who are committedto excellence in everything they do. It feels good to have someonesay, 'Hey you've done a good job here -- thanks for everythingyou've done.'"
All six award recipients, selected this year from among 20nominees throughout the state, were chosen by the Perham Committeeof the Task Force on the Status of Women from Ball State's Collegeof Science and Humanities. The recipients include Indiana women, bybirth or adoption, who have enriched the lives of others throughtheir accomplishments.
Endress said she and Jacquemin were notified separately in thespring about winning the award. It wasn't until this fall when theyboth received letters of congratulations that Endress realizedJacquemin was a fellow award recipient, she said.
"It was just funny," Endress laughed. "We opened the letters atthe same time, and we looked at each other and startedlaughing."
Endress, an entrepreneurship major originally from Evansville,said receiving the award has helped her to understand the positiveeffect her community involvement has on people around her. As amember of Ball State's women's basketball team, she has rankedseventh on the school's scoring list. She is also a volunteer forBig Brothers-Big Sisters of East Central Indiana, where she formeda lasting relationship with the young girl she mentored, shesaid.
"The award really made me stand back and say I'm proud of whatI've done. It makes me more motivated to play an active role in thecommunity," Endress said. "It's one of those awards where you haveto get nominated, so I wasn't aware I was even going up for theaward. That made it more special."
Jacquemin, a biochemistry and pre-medicine major originally fromHamilton, Ohio, said her student leadership accomplishments haveincluded serving as president of the Panhellenic Council, workingin the past as a chemistry and biology tutor in the Ball StateLearning Center and serving as a Cardinal leadership and serviceseminar mentor. Like Endress, she said she is proud to berecognized and respected for her commitment to the university andcommunity.
Fred Meyer, chairman of the Perham Awards Committee, said thePerham Committee sent announcements in early spring to solicitaward nominations from people throughout the state. Endress andJacquemin were nominated for the award by administration, deans andfaculty, who sent recommendation letters to the committee, Meyersaid.
He said while the committee usually chooses only one student toreceive the award, choosing two this year was inevitable.
"The committee was just astounded by the qualifications of bothof their credentials," he said. "There was no way we could justpick one of them. Just thinking about the award recipients suggeststo me that we have students who are major leaders in our community.They're really exciting role models for people to see."
He said having to select six women out of about 20 nominationswas an overall challenging process that lasted a month and a halflong.
"Our basic problem this year was figuring out where to draw theline because we had so many good nominees," Meyer said. "We evenput some in our archive for next year."
This year's four other award recipients selected by the PerhamCommittee include Vaneta Becker, who has represented the Evansvillearea since 1981 in the Indiana House of Representatives; MargaretCurtis, the founding president of Planned Parenthood of DelawareCounty; Ceola Digby-Berry, a licensed psychologist, a healthservice provider in psychology and member of the Ball State Boardof Trustees; and Margret G. Robb, who was appointed a judge in theFifth District of the Indiana State Court of Appeals in 1998.
Endress and Jacquemin will be recognized with the four otheraward recipients at a ceremony in the Ball State Alumni Center onOct. 27 at 6:30 p.m. Meyer said the recipients will receive afinancial gift, a plaque and an opportunity to speak for a fewminutes about their lives.
"It's always a very gratifying experience to go to the dinnerand see wonderful people tell about their lives and to hear howmuch exciting activity is going on in our state," Meyer said.
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