Fitzwater Honors

www.franklinpierce.edu

by Erica Tomaszewski
edited by Casey Williams

The Fitzwater Honors will take place May 3 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in Pierce Hall, and will honor two graduating seniors, as well as the anchor of CNN’s “State of the Union,” Candy Crawley with the Fitzwater Medallion.

The Fitzwater Honors occur every year to recognize an individual in the public eye who reflects the mission of the Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communication.  Director of the Fitzwater Center, Dr. Kristen Nevious, believed Crawley educated leaders of conscience in public communication this past year, and invited her to be honored at the event.

“We reached out to Candy Crawley and she responded.  She remembers our students from when she encountered them on the campaign trail here in New Hampshire, and she is also a good friend of Marlin Fitzwater,” said Nevious.

Also being acknowledged are two seniors who have dedicated their college years to engaging Franklin Pierce, as well as their surrounding communities in robust debate.

The two seniors, Robbie Michaelson and Bailey Gaffney, as well as Crawley will be receiving the Fitzwater Medallion from Marlin Fitzwater himself, who served as the press secretary to Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

Michaelson is eager to receive his award on stage with other big names in the communications field.  He feels it is such an honor to be recognized for his work in public communication alongside prestigious figures such as Crawley.

“I am so excited to receive the honor and am looking forward to meeting individuals who have affected the field of mass communication. I have so much respect for all past recipients and have worked hard to be getting the same honor they received,” said Michaelson.

Marlin Fitzwater is also excited about the event, and cannot wait to come to campus to see what other students are doing to connect with their communities.  He said he likes to visit campus to see what the students are doing with the great resources they have at the center.

Michaelson said the guidance of Marlin Fitzwater, his peers, and his family, have all brought him to where he is today.

“Franklin Pierce University has a great mass communications program and I hope to see it grow immensely in the coming years,” said Michaelson.