{"id":110481,"date":"2026-06-22T10:12:53","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T14:12:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?p=110481"},"modified":"2026-06-22T10:12:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T14:12:54","slug":"umw-honors-2026-alumni-award-recipients-at-reunion-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/22\/umw-honors-2026-alumni-award-recipients-at-reunion-weekend\/","title":{"rendered":"UMW Honors 2026 Alumni Award Recipients at Reunion Weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><section class=\"wp-block-umw-hero alignfull umw-custom-block umw-hero umw-hero--dark-text umw-hero--media-float-right umw-hero--white umw-hero--with-no-media umw-hero--with-no-content\"><div class=\"umw-hero__inner\"><div class=\"umw-hero__media\"><\/div><div class=\"umw-hero__title\"><div class=\"container\"><div class=\"umw-hero__title__wrapper\"><h1 class=\"umw-hero__title__header\">News<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><h2 class=\"alignwide wp-block-post-title\">UMW Honors 2026 Alumni Award Recipients at Reunion Weekend<\/h2><div class=\"wp-block-group umw-news-author-credit is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ad2f72ca wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-06-22T10:12:53-04:00\">June 22, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n\n\n<p>by<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\">Jill Laiacona<\/div><\/div><p>After studying home economics at Mary Washington, Edith Gilbert Smith &rsquo;62 taught the subject to children and adults for nearly three decades. Becoming a caregiver for her disabled husband, a retired U.S. Marine who was denied military benefits, led her to a life of serving as a citizen advocate for veterans and their families.<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ad2f72ca wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p>Guided by the motto &ldquo;Democracy is not a spectator sport,&rdquo; Smith has spent 30 years helping families fight and win battles for their rightful survivor benefits. Her tireless commitment earned her the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/alumni.umw.edu\/about\/alumni-awards\/\">Distinguished Alumnus Award<\/a>&nbsp;at the 2026 Reunion Weekend, recognizing graduates who&rsquo;ve made significant contributions to their professions and communities while being leaders in their fields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\\<\/p>\n<\/div><section class=\"image-gallery layout__block\">\n\t<div class=\"image-gallery__inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__main\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__main__track\" js-slideshow-track=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110482\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/22\/umw-honors-2026-alumni-award-recipients-at-reunion-weekend\/1781-k-pearlman-photography1\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1781-K-Pearlman-Photography1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2000,1333\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;From left: UMW President Troy Paino, Alumni Association Board of Directors (AABOD) President James Llewellyn &amp;#8217;87, Edith Gilbert Smith &amp;#8217;62, Shirin Afsous &amp;#8217;12, Mary Helen Dellinger &amp;#8217;90, Reference and Humanities Librarian Emeritus and honorary alumnus Jack Bales &amp;#8217;73 and AABOD member and Alumni Association Awards Vice President Lisa Maloney Keyser &amp;#8217;05. K Pearlman Photography.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1781-K-Pearlman-Photography1-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1781-K-Pearlman-Photography1-1024x682.jpg\" data-id=\"110482\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1781-K-Pearlman-Photography1-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"UMW President Troy Paino, Alumni Association leaders and four alumni holding awards.\" class=\"wp-image-110482\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110486\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/22\/umw-honors-2026-alumni-award-recipients-at-reunion-weekend\/1738-k-pearlman-photography\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1738-K-Pearlman-Photography-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.2\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"Canon EOS 5D Mark IV\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1748577396\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"85\",\"iso\":\"800\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.005\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Edith Gilbert Smith &amp;#8217;62 accepted the Distinguished Alumnus Award for her lifelong commitment to military veterans and their families. She thanked Ben Hermerding &amp;#8217;15, chief of staff to Virginia Delegate Kathy Tran, who helped move legislation forward benefiting surviving spouses. K Pearlman Photography. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1738-K-Pearlman-Photography-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1738-K-Pearlman-Photography-1024x683.jpg\" data-id=\"110486\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1738-K-Pearlman-Photography-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"A 1962 alumna thanks her alma mater for a UMW alumni award and is joined by a 2015 alumnus whom she worked with. She holds a photo of herself former Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and other public officials at the time the legislation passed.\" class=\"wp-image-110486\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110485\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/22\/umw-honors-2026-alumni-award-recipients-at-reunion-weekend\/1662-k-pearlman-photography-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1662-K-Pearlman-Photography.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2000,1333\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Mary Helen Dellinger &amp;#8217;90 accepted the Frances Liebenow Armstrong &amp;#8217;63 Service Award for her longstanding commitment to Mary Washington. K Pearlman Photography. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1662-K-Pearlman-Photography-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1662-K-Pearlman-Photography-1024x682.jpg\" data-id=\"110485\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1662-K-Pearlman-Photography-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"A 1990 alumna accepts a UMW alumni award in Seacobeck Hall's Weatherly Wing.\" class=\"wp-image-110485\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110484\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/22\/umw-honors-2026-alumni-award-recipients-at-reunion-weekend\/1635-k-pearlman-photography\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1635-K-Pearlman-Photography.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2000,1333\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Shirin Afsous &amp;#8217;12, a commercial litigator who takes on pro bono cases on behalf of vulnerable communities, accepted the Outstanding Young Alumni Award. K Pearlman Photography. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1635-K-Pearlman-Photography-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1635-K-Pearlman-Photography-1024x682.jpg\" data-id=\"110484\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1635-K-Pearlman-Photography-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"A 2012 alumna accepts a UMW alumni award in Seacobeck Hall's Weatherly Wing.\" class=\"wp-image-110484\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110487\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/22\/umw-honors-2026-alumni-award-recipients-at-reunion-weekend\/1777-k-pearlman-photography\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1777-K-Pearlman-Photography-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.2\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"Canon EOS 5D Mark IV\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1748577791\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"50\",\"iso\":\"800\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.005\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Reference and Humanities Librarian Emeritus Jack Bales thanked Mary Washington for his 40-plus year career after being named an honorary alumnus of the Class of 1973. K Pearlman Photography.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1777-K-Pearlman-Photography-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1777-K-Pearlman-Photography-1024x683.jpg\" data-id=\"110487\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1777-K-Pearlman-Photography-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"UMW's reference and humanities librarian emeritus accepts an alumni award naming him an honorary alumnus of Mary Washington.\" class=\"wp-image-110487\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__nav image-gallery__nav--previous\" aria-label=\"Previous\" js-prev>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\r\n<path d=\"M18.5 12H6M6 12L12 6M6 12L12 18\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><\/path>\r\n<\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__nav image-gallery__nav--next\" aria-label=\"Next\" js-next>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\r\n<path d=\"M6 12H18.5M18.5 12L12.5 6M18.5 12L12.5 18\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><\/path>\r\n<\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnails\" js-thumbnails-container=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnails__track\" js-thumbnail-track>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 0 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110482\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/22\/umw-honors-2026-alumni-award-recipients-at-reunion-weekend\/1781-k-pearlman-photography1\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1781-K-Pearlman-Photography1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2000,1333\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;From left: UMW President Troy Paino, Alumni Association Board of Directors (AABOD) President James Llewellyn &amp;#8217;87, Edith Gilbert Smith &amp;#8217;62, Shirin Afsous &amp;#8217;12, Mary Helen Dellinger &amp;#8217;90, Reference and Humanities Librarian Emeritus and honorary alumnus Jack Bales &amp;#8217;73 and AABOD member and Alumni Association Awards Vice President Lisa Maloney Keyser &amp;#8217;05. K Pearlman Photography.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1781-K-Pearlman-Photography1-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1781-K-Pearlman-Photography1-1024x682.jpg\" data-id=\"110482\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1781-K-Pearlman-Photography1-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"UMW President Troy Paino, Alumni Association leaders and four alumni holding awards.\" class=\"wp-image-110482\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 1 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110486\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/22\/umw-honors-2026-alumni-award-recipients-at-reunion-weekend\/1738-k-pearlman-photography\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1738-K-Pearlman-Photography-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.2\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"Canon EOS 5D Mark IV\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1748577396\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"85\",\"iso\":\"800\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.005\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Edith Gilbert Smith &amp;#8217;62 accepted the Distinguished Alumnus Award for her lifelong commitment to military veterans and their families. She thanked Ben Hermerding &amp;#8217;15, chief of staff to Virginia Delegate Kathy Tran, who helped move legislation forward benefiting surviving spouses. K Pearlman Photography. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1738-K-Pearlman-Photography-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1738-K-Pearlman-Photography-1024x683.jpg\" data-id=\"110486\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1738-K-Pearlman-Photography-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"A 1962 alumna thanks her alma mater for a UMW alumni award and is joined by a 2015 alumnus whom she worked with. She holds a photo of herself former Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and other public officials at the time the legislation passed.\" class=\"wp-image-110486\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 2 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110485\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/22\/umw-honors-2026-alumni-award-recipients-at-reunion-weekend\/1662-k-pearlman-photography-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1662-K-Pearlman-Photography.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2000,1333\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Mary Helen Dellinger &amp;#8217;90 accepted the Frances Liebenow Armstrong &amp;#8217;63 Service Award for her longstanding commitment to Mary Washington. K Pearlman Photography. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1662-K-Pearlman-Photography-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1662-K-Pearlman-Photography-1024x682.jpg\" data-id=\"110485\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1662-K-Pearlman-Photography-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"A 1990 alumna accepts a UMW alumni award in Seacobeck Hall's Weatherly Wing.\" class=\"wp-image-110485\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 3 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110484\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/22\/umw-honors-2026-alumni-award-recipients-at-reunion-weekend\/1635-k-pearlman-photography\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1635-K-Pearlman-Photography.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2000,1333\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Shirin Afsous &amp;#8217;12, a commercial litigator who takes on pro bono cases on behalf of vulnerable communities, accepted the Outstanding Young Alumni Award. K Pearlman Photography. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1635-K-Pearlman-Photography-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1635-K-Pearlman-Photography-1024x682.jpg\" data-id=\"110484\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1635-K-Pearlman-Photography-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"A 2012 alumna accepts a UMW alumni award in Seacobeck Hall's Weatherly Wing.\" class=\"wp-image-110484\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 4 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110487\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/22\/umw-honors-2026-alumni-award-recipients-at-reunion-weekend\/1777-k-pearlman-photography\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1777-K-Pearlman-Photography-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.2\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"Canon EOS 5D Mark IV\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1748577791\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"50\",\"iso\":\"800\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.005\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Reference and Humanities Librarian Emeritus Jack Bales thanked Mary Washington for his 40-plus year career after being named an honorary alumnus of the Class of 1973. K Pearlman Photography.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1777-K-Pearlman-Photography-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1777-K-Pearlman-Photography-1024x683.jpg\" data-id=\"110487\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/1777-K-Pearlman-Photography-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"UMW's reference and humanities librarian emeritus accepts an alumni award naming him an honorary alumnus of Mary Washington.\" class=\"wp-image-110487\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description-container\" js-description-container>\n\t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From left: UMW President Troy Paino, Alumni Association Board of Directors (AABOD) President James Llewellyn &rsquo;87, Edith Gilbert Smith &rsquo;62, Shirin Afsous &rsquo;12, Mary Helen Dellinger &rsquo;90, Reference and Humanities Librarian Emeritus and honorary alumnus Jack Bales &rsquo;73 and AABOD member and Alumni Association Awards Vice President Lisa Maloney Keyser &rsquo;05. K Pearlman Photography.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Edith Gilbert Smith &rsquo;62 accepted the Distinguished Alumnus Award for her lifelong commitment to military veterans and their families. She thanked Ben Hermerding &rsquo;15, chief of staff to Virginia Delegate Kathy Tran, who helped move legislation forward benefiting surviving spouses. K Pearlman Photography. <\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mary Helen Dellinger &rsquo;90 accepted the Frances Liebenow Armstrong &rsquo;63 Service Award for her longstanding commitment to Mary Washington. K Pearlman Photography. <\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shirin Afsous &rsquo;12, a commercial litigator who takes on pro bono cases on behalf of vulnerable communities, accepted the Outstanding Young Alumni Award. K Pearlman Photography. <\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Reference and Humanities Librarian Emeritus Jack Bales thanked Mary Washington for his 40-plus year career after being named an honorary alumnus of the Class of 1973. K Pearlman Photography.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m deeply honored and humbled to receive this award,&rdquo; said Smith, one of four individuals honored by the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/alumni.umw.edu\/about\/alumni-association\/\">Alumni Association Board of Directors<\/a>&nbsp;(AABOD) at a May 30 ceremony in Seacobeck Hall&rsquo;s Weatherly Wing. Alumni, faculty, staff, administrators, families and friends joined UMW President Troy Paino in recognizing Smith, Shirin Afsous &rsquo;12 and Mary Helen Dellinger &rsquo;90, as well as Reference and Humanities Librarian Emeritus Jack Bales, who was named an honorary alumnus.<\/p><p>Paino updated alumni on the ways that the University is striving to meet the needs of students and the regional workforce, highlighting UMW&rsquo;s partnership with Mary Washington Healthcare to develop a proposed medical school. He also discussed the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/academics.umw.edu\/center-for-ai\/\">Center for AI and the Liberal Arts<\/a>, a new hub for research, teaching and public engagement focused on artificial intelligence and its impact on society and higher education. And he celebrated the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/06\/umw-mens-basketball-wins-national-championship\/\">UMW men&rsquo;s basketball team<\/a>&nbsp;winning its first national title and shared updates on the new theatre, which&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/17\/umw-celebrates-groundbreaking-for-new-theatre-at-intersection-with-campus-and-community\/\">broke ground<\/a>&nbsp;this spring, and the fine arts and music renovation plans.<\/p><p>Alumni learned that UMW has&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/about\/national-rankings\/\">consistently ranked<\/a>&nbsp;among the top colleges and universities in the nation, with Paino emphasizing that their alma mater is remaining true to its mission as a public liberal arts and sciences university.<\/p><p>&ldquo;We believe that our education is not for that first job but for life,&rdquo; said Paino, noting the importance of educating each individual student and providing them with meaningful high-impact learning experiences that prepare them for life after Mary Washington. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not just transactional &ndash; it should be transformative.&rdquo;<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/giving.umw.edu\/blog\/2026\/06\/12\/umw-honors-2026-alumni-award-recipients-at-reunion-weekend\/\">Read more about the 2026 Alumni Association Awards honorees.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>byAfter studying home economics at Mary Washington, Edith Gilbert Smith &rsquo;62 taught the subject to children and adults for nearly three decades. Becoming a caregiver for her disabled husband, a retired U.S. Marine who was denied military benefits, led her to a life of serving as a citizen advocate for veterans and their families.Guided by [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1236,"featured_media":110492,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"umw_cb_additional_links":[[]],"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_advisory_expires_time":"","_advisory_meta_include":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[704],"tags":[],"topics":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-110481","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-stories","8":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>UMW Honors 2026 Alumni Award Recipients at Reunion Weekend - News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/22\/umw-honors-2026-alumni-award-recipients-at-reunion-weekend\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UMW Honors 2026 Alumni Award Recipients at Reunion Weekend\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"byAfter studying home economics at Mary Washington, Edith Gilbert Smith &rsquo;62 taught the subject to children and adults for nearly three decades. Becoming a caregiver for her disabled husband, a retired U.S. Marine who was denied military benefits, led her to a life of serving as a citizen advocate for veterans and their families.Guided by [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/22\/umw-honors-2026-alumni-award-recipients-at-reunion-weekend\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UniversityofMaryWashington\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-22T14:12:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-22T14:12:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/NewRelease_AlumniAwards_2026.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"413\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jill Laiacona\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@UMaryWash\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@UMaryWash\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jill Laiacona\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/22\\\/umw-honors-2026-alumni-award-recipients-at-reunion-weekend\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/22\\\/umw-honors-2026-alumni-award-recipients-at-reunion-weekend\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jill Laiacona\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/81cd90fbc8c9a45401477e39ce19ef4b\"},\"headline\":\"UMW Honors 2026 Alumni Award Recipients at Reunion Weekend\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-22T14:12:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-22T14:12:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/22\\\/umw-honors-2026-alumni-award-recipients-at-reunion-weekend\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":551,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/22\\\/umw-honors-2026-alumni-award-recipients-at-reunion-weekend\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/7\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/NewRelease_AlumniAwards_2026.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Top Stories\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/22\\\/umw-honors-2026-alumni-award-recipients-at-reunion-weekend\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/22\\\/umw-honors-2026-alumni-award-recipients-at-reunion-weekend\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/22\\\/umw-honors-2026-alumni-award-recipients-at-reunion-weekend\\\/\",\"name\":\"UMW Honors 2026 Alumni Award Recipients at Reunion Weekend - 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Becoming a caregiver for her disabled husband, a retired U.S. Marine who was denied military benefits, led her to a life of serving as a citizen advocate for veterans and their families.Guided by [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/22\/umw-honors-2026-alumni-award-recipients-at-reunion-weekend\/","og_site_name":"News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UniversityofMaryWashington\/","article_published_time":"2026-06-22T14:12:53+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-06-22T14:12:54+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":413,"url":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/NewRelease_AlumniAwards_2026.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jill Laiacona","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@UMaryWash","twitter_site":"@UMaryWash","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jill Laiacona","Est. reading time":"4 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