Theresa Falkowski, Class of 1978, will be recognized during the annual awards banquet at West Virginia University (WVU) Potomac State College (PSC) when she receives the Distinguished Service Award.
Falkowski, along with her late husband, Henry, have long been strong supporters of the College. Her love and dedication to PSC began in 1978 when she attended the College as a biology major.
Some of her major contributions include: The West Virginia Prep Cistern Collection which involved collecting, cleaning, identifying, numbering, and assisting with photographing items recovered from the cistern below the College; the Fort Fuller Collection involved collecting, cleaning and identifying artifacts, logo design, assisting with displays, and the donation of Civil War models; and the Woodrow Wilson Barr WWII Military History Collection.
Falkowski also located and purchased the Catamount Statue and plaque, the current PSC mascot costume, holiday entrance lighting, the PSC campus lighting replacement project, headed up the PSC academic mace project, and the PSC historical marker project.
She co-authored and donated funds for the publication of 100 Years of Davis Hall: Residence Hall & Conference Center, as well as banners, framed photographs and framed pennants in celebration of the 100th birthday of Davis Hall.
Additionally, Falkowski has donated funds for the Chester D. Harman, MD Memorial Scholarship; paint and supplies for the repainting of the Catamount Statue; books and equipment for the Mary F. Shipper Library; baseball caps for distribution to all students in the dinosaur class each year along with a trip to the Carnegie Natural History Museum in Pittsburgh, Pa.; framed pictures of PSC dignitaries; and custom designed Frisbees which were given out during the annual STEM Festival.
Falkowski serves as a member of several organizations including the American Chemical Society, WV Academy of Science, National Association of Scientific Material Managers, NC Aquarium Society, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Bat Conservation International, Friends of the USAF Museum, NC Battleship Memorial, and is a lifetime member of the WVU and PSC Alumni Associations.
In addition to being published in The Eberly College Magazine, Falkowski authored Laboratory Manual for Chemistry 112 which is currently used in the Chemistry 112 class. She also serves as the scientific materials manager for the PSC general chemistry laboratories.
She’s received numerous accolades, some of which include Outstanding Young Women of America, Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, International Woman of the Year, and Outstanding People of the 20th Century to name a few.
The awards banquet will be held in the Davis Conference Center. Social Hour begins at 5:30 p.m. with dinner at 6 p.m. The cost of the dinner is $25 per adult and $10 for children 12 and under.
Reservations are required for the banquet, with an RSVP deadline of Friday, October 19 and can be made with Alumni Relations Coordinator Derek Artimez at 304-788-6870 or at PSC-Alumni@mail.wvu.edu. Potomac State College is part of the WVU System located on the Keyser campus.