Alumni News

Alumni Awards

Both the Distinguished Alumnus Award and the Alumni Service Award were established in 1986. In the years since, the Distinguished Alumnus Award for Outstanding Career Achievement has been presented to alumni in the fields of law, medicine, education, business, ministry and the arts recognizing them for their career achievements - excelling in their chosen fields and making a difference in the world around them. Stratford class of 1976 alumnus Mr. Robert Rabun Merck, Jr. was the 2009 recipient of this award. Robert R. Merck is the Senior Managing Director and Head of Real Estate and Agricultural Investments at MetLife, Inc. In this role, he is responsible for managing the company's commercial mortgage and equity real estate portfolio, as well as its agricultural investments portfolio, with a total value of $58 billion. In this capacity, Robert manages a staff of 250 investment professionals, both domestic and international.

The Alumni Service Award is a way to recognize service to Stratford Academy by its alumni. Volunteer service to the school has always been an important part of our growth and success here at Stratford, and our alumni have always been a critical source of this kind of volunteer service. The 2009 Alumni Service Award was presented to David Paul Kempa, also a Stratford class of 1976 graduate, in recognition of long hours of support to our Athletic Program. Kempa has been called the "#1 all time Booster of the Stratford Eaglette Basketball program", but his contribution goes farther. While he was a student at Stratford, David managed the football and basketball teams, served as statistician for the basketball teams, and was the official scorer at away basketball games. As an alumnus, David has been the official scorer at all home Stratford varsity basketball games for the last 25 years - he has scored over 1,500 games during that time. David can frequently be seen on the sidelines at many other Stratford sporting events, as well - I have seen him at football games, soccer games, and track meets. He has attended every Stratford State Championship victory since 1970 in football, basketball, and baseball. David holds a B.A. degree from Mercer University and a J.D. degree from the Mercer University School of Law. He has been in the field of real estate since 1986, a broker since 1993, and is a Life Member of the Circle of Excellence.

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