Recognizing his exemplary service to Swarthmore, the College awarded the 2018 Suzanne P. Welsh Award to Sharples cook Don Thomas, who received a standing ovation at Thursday’s all-staff meeting.

The honor is awarded every two years to community members who “exhibit professionalism through dedicated service, initiative, high standards of quality work, integrity, and commitment to the College's mission, and serving as a model and inspiration for members of the staff community.”

Vice President of Human Resources Pamela Prescod-Caesar also recognized each of the 39 nominees for this year’s award, giving each a $50 gift card to the campus store and a Swarthmore travel thermos.

"The tremendous amount of nominations this year demonstrates the extent to which we value and respect one another at Swarthmore," Prescod-Caesar says. "It was a collective approach from all of us in the community and we were extremely impressed with the quality of each nomination submitted."

The award was established in 2011 by Eugene M. Lang ’38 to honor Welsh, then vice president for finance and treasurer, and nominees are selected by their peers. It was first awarded to in 2014 to Frank Milewski, director of administrative database application support for ITS. In 2016, Assistant to College Librarian Annette Newman received the honor.

Watch a video tribute to Thomas, in which members of the community give heartfelt congratulations to the warm, friendly man known as the "Mayor of Swarthmore".