Tyler Piper, Penny Lorio, Patricia Hodapp, and Peter Avis will be recognized
The third Galesburg-Augusta Alumni Award Ceremony will take place April 19 at 9 a.m. in the G-A High School gym.
This year’s recipients are Peter G. Avis (Class of 1991), Patricia Conor Hodapp (Class of 1962), Penny S. Lorio (Class of 1976) and Tyler R. Piper (Class of 2004).
The G-A IAA Facebook page notes the following about each recipient.
Pete’s loyalty and dedication to his career, his education, his school and classmates “has been unsurpassed.”
Pat credits her successful librarian career to Ruth Burrell, G-A High School Librarian. She is also a published author.
Penny is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter, producer, and director as well as essayist and musician.
Tyler is a decorated US Army Combat veteran” who was awarded a Purple Heart. Also, he “conducted CPR to save his grandfather’s life.”
The award was founded to promote pride in Galesburg-Augusta Community Schools and to celebrate alumni who have made significant contributions in their communities and in their profession.
Below are profiles posted on the G-A IAA Facebook page, about each recipient.
The public is invited to attend this free event but because of school day security concerns, community members who wish to attend are asked to fill out a very quick form located on the G-A IAA Facebook page, to register.
Tyler R. Piper, 2004 graduate
Tyler R. Piper was awarded a full U.S. Army ROTC scholarship in 2004 during his senior year of high school. He received his B.A. from Western Michigan University and his M.B.A. from Michigan State University.
During his first tour to Afghanistan as a 1st lieutenant, Tyler was wounded and received the Purple Heart. Here is a description of the action provided by his father: “Tyler was in charge of 31 U.S. Army infantrymen during a boundary overwatch mission. . .they were dropped into a mountainside by helicopter, taking up fighting positions and overwatching U.S. Army supply lines traveling through the roads in the mountain valley. . .On day four their water supply was depleted, so on day five Lieutenant Piper called in an air drop of water.” Although he was the officer in command, he chose to be the soldier to break cover in order to pick up the water for his men. “A member of Al Qaeda fired a rocket propelled grenade at him,” which fortunately hit behind him, spraying him with shrapnel, dirt, and sand. Because of these wounds sustained from an enemy of the United States, he was awarded the Purple Heart. During that first tour he was involved in other serious firefights; during his second tour he was a major embedded with the Italian Army. Tyler currently is a major serving in the Michigan Army National Guard and will have 20 years of service in August of 2024.
Tyler’s heroism also extended to his family here at home when he administered CPR to save his grandfather’s life. For this action he received a “Life Saving Medal” from the Michigan Army National Guard. But more importantly, his grandfather is still alive.
In his civilian life, Tyler has been employed as an operations manager at Frito Lay in Byron Center since 2020. G-A is proud and inspired by the example of service and heroism set by Major Tyler R. Piper.
Penny S. Lorio, 1976 graduate
Penny Lorio wrote and performed in her first play in Galesburg-Augusta Middle School. In high school, she wrote and scored songs for G-A’s choir. Later, being a director, producer, screenwriter, and playwright became her passions.
First, though, Lorio had work to do. After high school, she joined various bands and continued for many years with coffee house gigs. Aspiring to Thoreau’s idea that it is vain “to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live,” she spent time working with her hands in construction and as an aircraft mechanic at Kal Aero. She eventually partnered in a business called The Wall Doctor. This business sponsored the first AIDS benefit in Kalamazoo, raising money for CARES and working for the AIDS house, a cause dear to her heart as her cousin had died of AIDS.
Learning the business of theater and stagecraft at API Theater, in 1996 she introduced her “most visible work,” “Behind a Masquerade of Rhymes,” a full length play that has since been adapted to film and has been viewed over a million times on the internet. After spending time in Baltimore, she returned to Galesburg where she “continues to look for stories that have a relevant voice in today’s landscape.” Her characters “are people you know, have seen, or maybe have been. Often quirky and offbeat, each character lives their truth.”
Lorio proves that Galesburg is a wonderful place to grow up and also a wonderful place to come back home as she continues to tell her amazing stories.
Patricia Hodapp, 1962 graduate
In 2022, the New Mexico Writers Assoc. honored Hodapp with the “Librarian Par Excellence” Award. The title of the award is the best way to describe Pat and her accomplishments.
Hodapp ended her career retiring from the Santa Fe Public Library as director of libraries. She has not been inactive, however, as just recently she had a short story selected to be published in an anthology.
Following her graduation from G-A in 1962, she received her B.A. and teaching certificate from Western Michigan University. She soon achieved her M.S. from W.M.U. in Library Science. She also completed coursework at the University of Northern Colorado towards her Ph.D.
In describing Hodapp’s long and rewarding career, a word that continually represents her and her work is “innovative.” From pre-school story time programs in Missouri, to multi-lingual programs for Head Start in Colorado, to her work with over 50 international media outlets for the Grand Opening of the main downtown Denver Public Library, to Bi-lingual Story Time programs in Santa Fe, creativity has been her byword. In 1996, Hodapp “was the lead on coordinating the press and media” for the Summit of the Eight for the White House at the Denver Public Library. Ten world leaders were present including Boris Yeltsin and Tony Blair.
Hodapp is a published author and a researcher for other writers. She continues to serve even as she enjoys her retirement. She attributes her success to Galesburg-Augusta Community Schools and the motivation and scholarship assistance that her hometown education helped to provide.
Peter G. Avis, 1991 graduate
Peter Avis stated, “It’s a bit hard to sum up all of the ways that the G-A community impacted me, but the saying that ‘it takes a village’ couldn’t be more true.”
Following his graduation from G-A in 1991, Peter received his B.A. from Kalamazoo College in 1995, his M.S. from University of North Carolina in 1998, and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 2003. Since that time, Avis has served in a variety of teaching positions at Indiana University and the University of Maine, School of Biology and Ecology. He has been busy publishing and hosting conferences, especially in his area of expertise, Mycology (the study of fungi).
Avis’ community service involves coaching youth sports teams, serving on school boards, presenting to students in a variety of middle and high school settings, and working at the Field Museum. He is part of several organizations that work to preserve habitat and study biological diversity. He is highly active in the Mycological Society of America. He calls himself “a calculated-risk taker with an adventurous spirit.” He loves family and friends, biology, and life.
From Augusta, Michigan to the University of Maine, Avis states, “G-A gave me the gift of seeing what hard work and attention to detail can do. I am grateful for the community support at every level. And, I check the football scores every Saturday morning to see how G-A did on Friday night.”
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