Honored for Service

Four Princetonians received the Alumni Council Award for Service: 

GWEN L. FEDER ’78 has served the University in one way or another since graduation, first, as an interviewer for applicants and then as class special gifts co-chair, when her class set records for giving. She has been class president, helped with Reunions planning, and is now class secretary. Feder was instrumental in establishing the Class of 1978 Plaza in front of Wright and Patton halls. And beyond her official roles, she is known in her class for her faithful black-and-orange birthday messages on Facebook and for spearheading crowdsourcing campaigns whenever a classmate is in need. 

ROSE LI *92 was described by a former APGA board member as helping to “transform, enhance, and reinvent the APGA.” In Li’s first two years on the APGA board, she threw herself into the job and sat on several committees, including one that established a regional network for grad alums worldwide. She then served as vice president of the APGA. Li’s leadership was instrumental as the University planned a graduate alumni conference that drew 1,000 participants in 2013 — the largest gathering of Princeton graduate alumni ever. Li now volunteers at the Princeton Club of Washington, D.C., where she is on the club board.

LAUREN MCKENNA SURZYN ’07 became a member of the Annual Giving Committee in 2008 and has been vice chair since 2009. She has been a co-class agent since graduation, helping her class become the leader in overall Annual Giving participation, with a rate of 72 percent. Surzyn has also encouraged the youngest 10 classes to join the Annual Giving efforts and is known to help out other classes with phonathons when needed. While living in London, she was the regional young alumni chair for the Princeton Association of the UK from 2012 to 2013, and she is currently the regional Schools Committee chair for the Bronx.

Masakazu (Max) Tsumuraya *81

Courtesy Masakazu Tsumuraya *81

MASAKAZU (MAX) TSUMURAYA *81 had earned three engineering degrees in Tokyo by the time he arrived at Princeton’s Gas Dynamics Lab on the Forrestal campus. He returned to Japan in 1981, but he missed Princeton. One day, he saw an ad for an event at the Princeton Club of Japan in Tokyo — the first of many PCJ events he would attend before being tapped to serve as its secretary and treasurer in 1994. Tsumuraya has held the job ever since. One member recalls: “He kept the club going in periods of dormancy and provided a center of gravity when the club was full of energy.” Tsumuraya also assisted with Princeton in Asia initiatives, helping students to work and travel in the country by finding them sponsors and host families, handling scheduling, and stepping in to troubleshoot.

At top, Juan Goytia ’00, second from right, presented awards to, from left: Lauren McKenna Surzyn ’07, Gwen Feder ’78, and Rose Li *92. Honoree Masakazu Tsumuraya *81 could not attend. (Photo: Fotobuddy)