Established in 2018, this award is intended to recognize Purdue graduates whose “small steps” of kindness and service make a giant impact. Nominations are open until April 1 when the judging phase begins. A panel of judges will evaluate each nomination and advance the best submissions to a voting round. Voting is done by you – the Purdue Alumni – and will determine the winner of the “Small Steps, Giant Impact” award.
Established in 2005, this award was introduced to recognize a club leader who has contributed time and service to the alumni club program and the Purdue Alumni Association over a significant period of time. Nominations are due each May 1 and require a one-page summary of the nominee’s service. Requirements include current or previous service as a club officer and being a current Purdue Alumni member. A plaque is presented to recipients each fall during Homecoming weekend at the Celebration Dinner. Also, a nameplate is added to the plaque in the Alumni Association office.
Established in 1981, the Special Boilermaker Award honors a member of the Purdue faculty or staff who has contributed significantly to improving the quality of life and/or bettering the educational experience for a substantial number of Purdue students. Purdue students, alumni, faculty, or staff may make nominations. Nominations are due August 1 of each year. Winners are selected by a five-to-seven-person committee. A special memento is presented and a nameplate is added to a plaque in the Alumni Association office, as well as a kiosk located in the Engineering Mall.
Patsy earned a bachelor’s degree in food and nutrition in business from Purdue in 1969, in addition to an MBA in food marketing from Michigan State University in 1970. She retired from Kraft Foods in 2006 after 36 years in corporate food marketing and marketing communications management.
A community volunteer, Patsy serves on the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana Advisory Board and the Purdue College of Health and Human Sciences Dean’s Leadership Council, in addition to the President’s Council Advisory Board. She is a former member of the Health and Human Sciences Alumni Board. Patsy held several offices from 2006 through 2013, including president and treasurer. She serves her community’s Discover Indianapolis Club in Fishers, holding several leadership roles for over 10 years.
Patsy has received several honors, including the Purdue University Nutrition Science Department Hall of Fame recipient in 2009 and the Purdue University College of Health and Human Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award in 2016. She also received the college’s Gold and Black Award in 2016, an honor reserved for donors who have moved the college forward by committing exceptional financial resources.
In addition to endowing two scholarships, the Patsy J. Mellott Scholarship and Patsy J. Mellott HHS Scholarship, she established the Patsy J. Mellott Teaching Innovation Award in the College of Health and Human Sciences in 2013. In 2015, she endowed the Patsy J. Mellott Women’s Tennis Coach Performance Award. She is a lead donor in the Christine M. Ladisch Faculty Leadership Award and the Purdue Women’s Network Virginia C. Meredith Scholarship for the College of Health and Human Sciences.