Published Work - Le Provocateur

Excellence rewarded at Ray Marion ceremony - News - Le Provocateur
Published in October 17, 2012 issue of Le Provocateur 

On Wednesday, October 10 at 4 p.m., three Assumption College seniors, Amanda Carchedi, Nicole Carpenter and Gianna Gugliotti, were honored at the 27th annual Ray Marion Awards for having the three highest grade point averages in their class upon completion of their junior year.

The Ray Marion Awards are annually given to the three rising seniors with the highest GPAs and honor a fellow Assumption alumnus, Ray Marion '42.

Eloise Knowlton, Dean of students, individually called up the three winners and their families, in which she presented them with their awards.

Carchedi will be graduating this May with a degree in graphic design and art history with a minor in marketing. Carchedi has been greatly involved in campus life during her four years at Assumption.

"A dedicated member of the Campus Activities Board for four years and its current co-chairperson, Amanda has also been a Resident Assistant for the past two years," said Knowlton. "Last summer, Amanda put her graphic design and marketing skills to work as she completed an internship at Brigham and Women's Hospital, developing its web content and helping create the Frist Annual Brigham and Women's Research Day."

Carpenter will be graduating this May with a degree in marketing and Spanish. She has been a member of the Campus Activities Board for three years and is this year's co-chairperson with Carchedi.

"She's a member of the Sigma Delta Pi Spanish Honor Society and an Augustine Scholarship recipient," stated Knowlton. "This year, Nicole is working as a branding and marketing intern for GrooveBoston, a special events company based out of Boston. As a part of the Honors Program, Nicole is currently writing her Honors Thesis."

Gugliotti will be graduating this May with a dress in English literature in graduate school. She is at Assumption on the D'Alzon scholarship with an interest in English and history.

"She is a member of Assumption's branches of Sigma Tau Delta and Phi Alpha Theta, of which she is the acting vice president and was a winner of last year's Undergraduate Symposium," said Knowlton. "She is also involved as an editor and writer of Assumption's creative writing journal, L'Esprit, in Assumption's band as a saxophonist and is participating in the 2012 American Antiquarian Society Seminar."

The three winners offer their advice to all of the rising sophomores, juniors and seniors.

"I would tell them to pick something you are truly passionate about to study," said Carchedi. "I know it's hard, but don't procrastinate and always put in effort to what you are doing."

"Navigate the remainder of your college career with a 'work hard, play hard' attitude," said Carpenter. "Make sure that you take the time to enjoy the time that you have left--get involved, try something new, set time aside to do the things you love--so that college not only fosters your academic growth, but your personal growth as well."

"Try to figure out how to manage your time by learning your limits; you'll eventually know how long it takes to work on various assignments and be comfortable in your schedule," says Gugliotti. "Also, in those moments of doubt late at night, drink something caffeinated."

In order for others to understand the importance of the awards' namesake, Knowlton gave background on the Assumption alumnus and professor.

"[Marion] was born in Gardner, Massachusetts on September 22, 1920," Knowlton said. "He enrolled in Assumption College High School, also called Assumption Prep, in 1935," stated Knowlton. "He completed high school there, and continued at Assumption College, receiving a B.A., magna cum laude, in 1942. His undergraduate transcript dates from when our records were still in French, a language he studied along with Latin, Greek, German and English."

Marion earned his masters in 1946 from Clark University. He specialized in American History and International Relations. He completed his doctoral studies also at Clark University in 1957. His focus was on France and International Relations.

As a professor at Assumption for 44 years, Marion offered courses in history, political science and geography.

"An innovative educator, he was one of the creators of and teachers in the college's interdisciplinary program in Native American studies," said Knowlton. "He served as chair of the history department from 1961 to 1970 and chaired the division of Social Science from 1962 to 1969."

In 1971 for two years, Marion served as the academic dean. After his two years as dean, he received the honorary Doctor of Humanities degree.

Not only did Marion contribute to the academic side of the college but also the athletics. He served as the varsity basketball coach and assistant football coach. He was inducted into the Assumption College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994.

He also served as the director of the Assumption Alumni Association, which in 1971 honored him with the Outstanding Alumnus Award.

Directly following his retirement in 1990, Marion was named professor emeritus and was awarded the d'Alzon Medal for his contributions to the College and the Church. The College decided to name the awards for academic excellence after him once he retired.