Hiram College inducted three new members into its Garfield Society during a ceremony held on October 19. Established by the Board of Trustees and named for President James A. Garfield, the Garfield Society honors individuals who have demonstrated significant professional achievement and whose efforts have substantially enriched their communities.
Bruce Bustard, ’76, Ph.D., retired senior curator of the National Archives in Washington D.C., delivered the keynote address “We the People: Stories from Documents in the National Archives,” telling stories based on documents in the National Archives. During his tenure at the National Archives, Bustard was curator of several major exhibitions, including “A New Deal for the Arts,” Picturing the Century: One Hundred Years of Photography from the National Archives,” “Searching for the Seventies: The Documerica Photography Project,” and “Spirited Republic: Alcohol in the American History.” He was also the lead researcher for the Archives’ permanent exhibit, “The Public Vaults” and for “Discovering the Civil War.”
Bustard was inducted into the society, along with Judith Muyskens, Ph.D., Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dean of the College. Following a career that spans numerous academic and administrative appointments, Dean Muyskens came to Hiram in July 2017, following her retirement from Nebraska Wesleyan University (NWU), where she served as Provost for nine years. Since joining the College, she has played an instrumental role in advancing the College’s academic redesign efforts.
Also inducted was Joan Roguski,’76, Hiram Trustee. After graduating from the College, she taught high school mathematics for two years before starting work as an actuarial trainee with Metropolitan Life. Roguski completed a rigorous and demanding series of examinations for entry into the Society of Actuaries and was designated an Enrolled Actuary under ERISA, a federal United States tax and labor law. Throughout her career, she has worked as a consulting pension actuary, in addition to her extensive work in the development of systems to administer defined benefit pension plans.
“The College truly values its connection to the Garfield family–a family which has given so much to ensure the continuation and success of the College and the Garfield Society – a forum that allows us the opportunity to honor individuals who have demonstrated significant professional achievement and whose efforts have substantially enriched their communities, said Dr. Lori Varlotta, president of Hiram College.
Garfield was both a student and principal of the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute, which later became Hiram College. Membership in the Garfield Society is the highest honor Hiram College can bestow upon an individual. It honors those who have continued traditions of scholarship, leadership, social commitment, and compassion that have been the hallmark of a Hiram College education before, during, and after James A. Garfield’s tenure at the College.
