I  am  honored  to  present  to  you  the  winners  of the  2021  Award  for  service  to  Princeton. The  winners  have  given  their  time  and  energy, their  caring  and  love  for  Princeton, its  people,  and  its  mission, and  they  have  given  all  of that  under  the  radar, far  from  the  spotlight, without  fanfare, but  with  humility  and  devotion. This  year,  we  received a  bumper  crop  of  amazing  nominations. And  on  behalf  of  our  entire  committee, I  would  like  to  thank  everyone  who submitted  these  nominations. Your  personal  and  in  depth information  gave  us  a  genuine  sense  of the  enormous  contributions  of every  amazing  Princetonian whom  you  nominated. But  this  year,  like  last  year, things  are  a  little  different  in  detail, but  exactly  the  same  in  spirit. I  will  read  a  shortened  citation for  each  recipient, just  a  sampling  of  what each  has  contributed  to  our  community. And  I  invite  you  all  to read  the  full  citations, which  will  be  posted  on  the  alumni  website. Our  first  winner  is  Fritz  Kmersel. For  nearly  50  years, Fritz  Kmersel  has  served  as an  exceptional  volunteer  by  any  measure. He  has  been  vice  president  and  president  of his  class  and  sits on  its  executive  committee. He  has  been  the  president  of the  Princeton  Area  Alumni  Association, chair  of the  Regional  Alumni  Schools  Committee, and  a  P  Raid  Marshal. He  was  the  president  of the  Princeton  University  Hockey  Association and  headed  a  fundraising  campaign that  raised  money  to  refurbish  Baker  nk. Perhaps  the  most  public  of  Fritz'  roles  is his  longstanding  leadership  of the  class  of  1972  reunions. Yes,  72  major  reunions are  known  to  be  award winning  and  record  breaking. The  all  year  reunions  are  just  as  memorable. For  decades,  he  has  hosted class  dinners  at  his  Princeton  home, and  his  hospitality  is  legendary. As  many  as  80  classmates and  friends  regularly gather  at  what  is  affectionately known  as  the  Fritz  Carlton. He  also  invites  current  students  who  have already  been  identified  for the  next  reunion's  crew. This  is  a  glimpse  of  his  decades of  mentoring  students. The  student  might  be  the  C  scholar  for 72  or  an  athlete  from  one  of the  many  teams  that  Fritz routinely  cheers  on. Often,  the  students are  far  from  their  families. Fritz  offers  a  home  cooked  meal or  an  important  network  introduction, help  with  a  thesis  or support  during  a  family  emergency. Along  the  way,  he  introduces rich  traditions  of  Princeton  and instills  a  love  of  the  university. It  is  beyond  humbling  to  count  myself  among the  approximately  200  selfless  Princetonians who've  received  this  award over  the  last  50  years. While  this  award  is  given  to  me  individually, it  is  the  product  of  great collaboration  and  joint  effort. In  each  instance,  my  job  has  been  made easier  by  countless  friends  and  supporters. I  suspect  that  I  speak  for the  other  honorees  when I  say  that  we  do  what  we  do, not  for  the  recognition  of  the  awards, rather,  we  do  it  for  the  love  of  the  place. I  wouldn't  trade  the  people  I've  met, the  experiences  I've  had, the  lifelong  friendships  that  I  have forged  over  the  last  45  years  for  anything. As  an  undergraduate  and  Young  alone, I  was  mentored  by  some  giants. I  have  tried  to  pay  their  kindness forward  and  have  been privileged  to  know  scores of  Princeton's  best  and  brightest. More  than  a  few  have  been leaders  in  their  classes. Several  have  been  major  union  chairs. Their  growth  and  involvement  in Princeton  affairs gives  me  great  satisfaction. They  refer  to  themselves  as FOF  friends  of  Fritz. They  also  refer  to  my  house  as the  Fritz  Carlton.  Go  figure. Finally,  to  Freddie  22  and Henry  newly  minted  Princeton  25, my  love  and  thanks  for  allowing  me  to continue  to  engage  in  all  things  Princeton. Without  your  support  and  understanding, none  of  this  would  have  been  possible. Thank  you  for  this  great  honor. I  look  forward  to  many  more  years of  service  to  my  beloved, to  our  beloved  Princeton. After  her  2013  retirement  from  ExxonMobil, Nancy  Lynn  and  her  husband  left Houston  to  return  to  live  in  Princeton. Once  back  home,  she  found  time, and  she  found  a  new  passion, Princeton  volunteer  leadership. Already  familiar  with the  Asian  American Alumni  Association  of  Princeton, also  known  as  AFP, from  helping  to  organize  an  event  in  Houston, Nancy  became  a  board  member  in 2015  and  co  chair  in  2017. Employing  her  finely  honed skills  in  strategic  management, she's  been  cultivating  a  vibrant  group  that continues  to  expand engagement  across  generations. Beyond  AFP, Nancy  works  with  Princeton  internships  in civic  service  to  encourage alumni  to  create  opportunities  for summer  interns  and  help  to  found the  Princeton  Women's Network  of  Greater  Princeton. Her  range  of  connections  is  far  reaching, including  current  students and  administrators, undergraduate  and  graduate  alumni, recent  or  seasoned. And  her  generosity  is  both deep  and  wide  from  creating the  Lynn  Family  Endowment for  Asian  American  studies to  personally  funding  student  interns to  work  on  a  history  of  AFP. Her  generosity  also  extends  to  her  time. She  helps  Asian  students  with Asian  grocery  store  runs  and mentors  not  only  a  current  student in  chemical  and  biological  engineering, her  own  concentration,  but  also new  students  through  the Princeton  University  mentoring  program, sponsored  by  the  Carl  A.  Field  Center. Nancy  is  a  Zoom  master who  also  won't  hesitate  to  just  pick up  the  phone  or  hand  over  a  gift  to nurture  relationships  and  connect  volunteers. She  will  do  anything  she  can  out  of pure  joy  in  growing  the  Tiger  family. Princeton's  impact  on  my  life begins  with  a  bachelor's  in chemical  engineering  and  meeting  my  husband Morris  Smith  of  40  years now  in  the  engineering  school, of  a  bridal  party  that  was  almost  all composed  of  classmates  from his  and  my  classes, joining  Mobile  oil  because  I'd  taken a  graduate  course  from a  brilliant  visiting  professor, Paul  Weiss,  who  was  also  the  head  of Mobile's  central  research  division, and  my  father  getting  his graduate  degree  from  Princeton  in 1935  in  economics  and  our  older  daughter, class  of  2010  with her  degree  in  molecular  biology. My  mother  always  said, You  can  never  stop  learning, and  you  should  always look  for  the  good  in  people. And  since  we've  retired  back  in  Princeton, it  has  been  a  nonstop  show of  fascinating  learning  experiences, learning  that  my  father  was a  boxer  Rebellion  indemnity  scholar, meaning  that  he  was  sponsored by  the  Chinese  government. Learning  about  Asian  American  studies, my  first  exposure  in the  Infamous  Page  Act  and Chinese  Exclusion  Act  from Professor  Ann  Cheng  class  of  85, which  gave  a  historical  context on  how  rare  my  mother  was  to  have  come to  the  United  States  as  a  graduate  student in  1949  to  get her  master's  in  social  service. And  all  of  this  then  led  me  to  want  to  create the  Asian  American  Studies  Endowment in  my  parents'  memory. So  that  all  the  other  Asian  and Asian  American  and  non  Asian and  Asian  American  students  at Princeton  would  have  an  opportunity to  learn  this  history at  a  much  earlier  stage than  I  did  after  I  retired. It's  been  wonderful  connecting with  so  many  alumni  through the  various  engagement  opportunities, annual  giving, being  part  of  the  Alumni Council  Executive  Committee,  and  of  course, the  Asian  American  Alumni Association  of  Princeton, which  I've  been  fortunate  enough  to co  chair  for  the  last  two  terms. It  was  really  the  people  that really  make  the  experiences  special. So  many  thanks  to  all  who  nominated  me  and supported  my  receiving this  award  from  Princeton, and  we  look  forward  to a  lot  more  great  experiences  together. Our  third  recipient  is  Susan  Horner. Susan  Horner  has  worn  many  hats during  her  30  plus  years of  service  to  Princeton. With  her  early  years  of alumni  schools interviewing  as  the  foundation, Susan's  volunteer  roles  have expanded  exponentially  since  2003. Her  regional  leadership  roles  for the  PC  of  Northwest  New  Jersey, including  its  schools  committee, led  to  membership  on, then  the  chairing  of  the  Alumni Council's  Princeton  Schools  Committee. Next,  she  helped  to  launch the  Princeton  Women's  Network for  Northern  New  Jersey in  2016  and  in  2017, became  the  chair  of  the  Alumni Council's  ad  hoc  committee on  alumni  initiatives. At  the  same  time,  she  was asked  to  serve  as  a  co  chair  of the  steering  committee  for the  2018  SORs  Conference. Following the  huge  success  of  that  conference, Susan  was  charged  with  transforming the  ad  hoc  committee  into the  Princeton  Women's Network  Advisory  Council, which  she  has  led  since  2019. Under  that  new  banner, the  number  of  regional  PWN chapters  has  doubled  with a  33%  increase  in alumni  now  served  by  a  regional  PWN. And  that's  just  a  taste  of  what  she  has  done. Why  has  she  done  it? The  answer  always  is  community. Why  expand  ASC  involvement at  college  fairs  to  assist the  admission  office's  increased  outreach to  underrepresented  communities. Why  expand  the  PWN  network  to  build a  convivial  community  where  alumni can  foster  programs  of  value  to  women. Then  there's  how  she  has  done  it. She  leads  by  example, elevates  those  who  work  with  her, and  cultivates  the  next generation  of  leaders, all  with  grace  and  unflagging  good  cheer. As  one  colleague  summarizes, truly,  she  represents  the best  that  Princeton  has  to  offer. I  am  deeply  honored  to  receive  this  award, and  I  congratulate  my  fellow  recipients. It  has  been  an  honor  to  have  been  entrusted with  key  leadership  roles of  our  alumni  community, and  the  experience  has  been  truly  wonderful. Through  my  years  of volunteering  for  Princeton, I  have  been  heartened  by  the  spirit of  inclusion  and  connection, which  informs  so  much  of who  we  are  as  alumni, from  the  ambassadors  who make  up  the  core  of  interviewers  on schools  committee  to  the  chorus of  3,000  magnificent  voices  that  she roars  to  the  tigresses  behind the  vivacity  and  flare  of our  growing  Princeton  Women's  Network. Working  with  the  university  to promote  alumni  outreach  in  support  of Princeton's  commitment  to  access  and affordability  has  been  especially  meaningful. A  has  been  my  involvement  in creating  a  supportive  structure  for  the  PWN, the  Princeton  Women's Network  Advisory  Council. It  has  been  my  great  good fortune  to  have  worked  with close  to  1,000  alumni during  the  past  two  decades, and  I  wish  I  could  thank  them each  personally for  making  this  award  possible. And  so,  I  would  like  to  celebrate my  incomparable  alumni  family  who  hold Princeton  dear  as  I do  for  its  intellectual  gifts, its  devotion  to  service, and  its  care  to  provide a  place  where  a  diversity  of viewpoints  can  be  expressed  Tiger  cheers, And  our  fourth  winner  is  Lawrence  Latimer. When  Lawrence  Latimer  attended the  2013  Graduate  Alumni  Conference, many  Ms,  many  Stripes, he  had  been  the  agent  for his  Sia  class  for  one  year. He  went  to  a  session  on  volunteering  and, as  he  remembers,  got  into  the  flow  of  things. Afterward,  he  shared  with  one  of the  presenters  that  he would  like  to  get  more  involved, and  the  floodgates  opened. His  first  stop  was  his  regional  association, Princeton  Alumni  of  New  York  City, where  he  coordinated  a  graduate  alumni  event and  was  soon the  regional  graduate  alumni  chair. Now  on  leadership's  radar, Lawrence  moved  on  to  become  chair of  Graduate  Alumni  Annual  Giving. Then  it  was  2018  when  he was  made  vice  chair  of the  annual  Giving  Committee, the  first  graduate  alum to  be  named  to  that  post, co  chair  of  the  Connect  Initiative, focusing  on  increasing Black  alumni  engagement  among both  undergraduate  and  graduate  alumni  and a  member  of  the  Campaign Executive  Steering  Committee. He  is  an  ex  officio  member  of the  Graduate  School  Deans  Leadership  Council, the  board  of  the  Association of  Princeton  Graduate  Alumni, and  the  Alumni  Council's  Executive  Committee. He  sits  on  the  Alumni  Advisory Committee  of  the  Center for  Career  Development and  is  a  mentor  for the  Princeton  Entrepreneurship  Council. He  also  remains  very  much  engaged with  the  Princeton  Alumni  Angels, the  group  of  passionate  alumni who  are  committed  to  finding great  investment  opportunities  and  supporting exciting  startups whose  greater  New  York  chapter he  helped  to  found  in  2016. We  can't  wait  to  see  what  he  does  next. Princeton  is  an  exceptional  place, and  it  changed  the  course  of  my  life. I  feel  a  great  obligation  to  pay  it  forward, and  so  serving  for  the  school  has been  a  great  joy  and  a  great  honor. I  was  genuinely  surprised when  notified  that  I was  selected  to  receive the  award  for  service  to  the  university. To  say  that  I'm  honored  and humbled  doesn't  quite  capture  the  emotion, but  those  are  the  words that  I  have  right  now. There  are  so  many  deserving  tigers out  there  who  put  in  the  work, who  give  in  ways  large  and  small, but  all  crucial  to the  fabric  of  our  alumni  community. To  me,  the  tiger  community is  exceptional  because  of the  collective  contribution that  each  of  us  makes, not  from  any  one  of  us. My  volunteer  journey  is marked  by  scores  of  people  who  believed in  me  and  helped  light the  sometimes  murky  path of  volunteering  for  Princeton. The  entire  community  benefits  when every  single  one  of  us  is engaged  in  contributing  in ways  large  and  small  to  make Princeton  an  even  more exceptional  place  than it  was  when  we  were  here. So  this  award  for  service  is a  marker  of  the  great  honor  and responsibility  that  I  have and  that  we  each  have  to improve  the  world  around  us  and truly  live  in  the  service  of  humanity. Congratulations  again  to  Fritz, Nancy,  Susan,  and  Lawrence. We  are  thrilled  to  honor  you  here  today and  humbled  by  your  service  to  us  all. And  now  back  to  you,  Rick.