
2003 – Mr. DeLight E. Breidegam, Jr.
Class of 1944
Kutztown’s first Distinguished Alumni Award was presented to DeLight Breidegam, Jr. He was the co-founder and chairman of East Penn Manufacturing in Lyons. The award was presented to Mr. Breidegam in recognition of his personal and professional accomplishments and the significant contributions he continually made to the people and organizations of the local community and to the business community worldwide.

2007 – Mr. Marvin F. Schlenker
Class of 1945
Marvin Schlenker was honored for his contribution to the broadcast industry. He directed and produced a wide variety of programs including “Who Do You Trust?” with Johnny Carson. He was a founder of ABC’s “Wide World of Sports”. He also served as director of ABC’s “Nightline with Ted Koppel”. During his career, he covered five Olympics, ten political conventions and the space program.

2013 – Dr. Brenda Winkler
Class of 1963
Dr. Winkler began her teaching career in the Kutztown Area School District. She went on to teach in PA and N.J., was an instructor and counselor at Penn State, Berks Campus, and served as assistant and then acting superintendent of Marple Newton School District. Additionally, she taught a doctoral level course at Immaculata University, supervised doctoral interns at the University of Penna., worked as a consultant for Apple Computer and has testified as an Expert Witness in education program analysis.
Dr. Winkler returned to the Kutztown Area School District as superintendent in 1997. During her tenure she demonstrated a “kids come first” philosophy. Her leadership, organizational and planning skills were instrumental in beginning the one-to-one Apple Computer initiative, the simultaneous renovation of three elementary school buildings, and the shift from a junior high school to a middle school format. Dr. Winkler is a co-founder of the Kutztown Area School District Education Foundation.

2015 – Mr. Stephen B. Slick
Class of 1976
Stephen Slick served nearly three decades in various roles at the CIA, including an appointment as special assistant to President George W. Bush at the White House. He was recently named the inaugural Director of Intelligence Studies Project at the University of Texas at Austin, where he is also a Clinical Professor at the University’s LBJ School of Public Affairs.

2017 – Mr. Andrew J. Brett
Class of 1987
Andrew J. Brett ’87 has spent 25 years in education, the last 13 as a School Counselor at Kutztown Area High School, where he has provided academic, career, college readiness, and personal/social competencies to thousands of students through his counseling. Mr. Brett also serves as Scholarship Committee Chairperson for the Kutztown Area Teachers Association, is the Emergency Staff Person for the high school, a class advisor and former debate coach.
Beyond his duties as a school counselor, Mr. Brett serves as President of Kutztown Strong, a community-based group of concerned citizens that was formed in 2014 to make a difference in our region through the prevention of substance abuse. For his volunteer work, he was featured on National Public Radio as well as Berks County’s “The People Chronicles.”

2018 – Ms. Julie Stark
Class of 1979
Julie Stark worked in visual effects on major motion pictures for 25 years contributing to numerous Academy Award-winning films including “Life of Pi” for which her team won the 2013 Oscar for Best Visual Effects. She left the film industry the same year and returned to Berks County to establish Stark Juice LLC in Kempton PA where she produces a line of raw and unpasteurized juices made from seasonal, fresh, cold-pressed fruits and vegetables.

2020 – Dr. Karen L. Rauch
Class of 1980
Dr. Karen L. Rauch, Ph.D., serves as Associate Provost for Accreditation and Assessment at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, where she has also served as Associate Professor, Chair of the Modern Language Studies Department, and Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. As a faculty member, she taught undergraduate and graduate courses in Caribbean studies, nineteenth-century Peninsular (Spanish) and Latin American literature, civilization and culture, translation/interpreting, and Spanish for business.
After leaving KAHS, Rauch earned her baccalaureate degree at Allentown College of St. Francis de Sales (now DeSales University), where she was a double major in French and Spanish. She went on to study literature at Duke University, earning a Master’s degree in 1986. She taught at Duke University, University of Virginia, Alvernia University (then College), and the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. She received her Ph.D. from The University of Virginia.

2021 – Major David W. Saul
Class of 1956
Major David W. Saul (February 7, 1938 – November 1, 2019) served with distinction in the U.S. Army for 20 years (active and reserve) in the fields of Artillery and in Research & Development. He was a Vietnam Veteran and a recipient of the Bronze Star. Major Saul was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors in February 2020.