GROVE CITY COLLEGE Two win campus, community honors

Award recipients have improved the campus-community relationship.
GROVE CITY, Pa. -- The campus vice president for financial affairs and a local attorney have been named recipients of the Grove City College Florence E. MacKenzie Campus-Community Awards for 2004.
The campus honoree is Roger Towle, the college's vice president for financial affairs, and the community honoree is Atty. Milford "Miff" McBride, a member of the college board of trustees.
Florence MacKenzie, wife of former president Dr. Charles MacKenzie, served Grove City College and the community of Grove City until her death in 1981. She established strong town-gown relationships.
The Campus-Community Awards were created in her honor.
The winners
Towle, a 1968 Grove City graduate, has led the financial affairs office at Grove City College since 1995 and also lends his time and talent to the community through the Chamber of Commerce, Grove City Revitalization, Inc. and the Literacy Council, where he serves as treasurer.
Towle is the current Chamber of Commerce president and is also involved in causes surrounding pulmonary hypertension and diabetes support and research. He is the national treasurer and board member for the Pulmonary Hypertension Association.
He was awarded the Chair's Award for Volunteer Excellence and the Banting Best Award by the American Diabetes Association Pennsylvania Affiliate and the 1996 Distinguished Public Service Award by the Pennsylvania Institute of CPA's.
Before returning to his alma mater, Towle worked as CFO for Abraxas Group, Inc., a human services and state education program. Most of his career after graduation was with Deloitte & amp; Touche, where he served as an audit partner from 1981-1991.
Towle is a certified public accountant in Pennsylvania and has been a member of the Pennsylvania and American Institutes of CPAs since 1972. He served in the U.S. Army from 1968 to 1970 and is active in the Grove City College Alumni Association, serving currently as treasurer.
McBride, a lifelong Grove City resident, is a member of the class of 1944 and was appointed to the college's trustees board in 1995. He offers the panel advice from both the community perspective and his many years as a local attorney and partner with McBride & amp; McBride.
His attendance at cultural events, lecture programs and the Guest Artist Series is a sign of support for the college over the years, said a person who nominated him for the honor.
Among his many honors and citations is the Distinguished Citizen Award, presented by the French Creek Council of the Boy Scouts of America in 1998. He was one of the first three recipients of the Community Service Award, selected by the Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce in 1982, and is past president of the Mercer County Bar Association and past treasurer of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
He also sponsors an annual scholarship for Grove City Area High School students who plan to attend Grove City College. He holds degrees from New York University and earned his juris doctorate degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1949.