Belle Turner Lynch ’61, ’10H was recently recognized by The Council for Advancement and Support of Education as one of its 2018 Distinguished Service Awards recipients. The awards honor individuals and organizations for extraordinary service in education and the field of educational advancement, which includes alumni relations, fundraising, communications and marketing.

Lynch accepted the Ernest T. Stewart Award for Alumni Volunteer Involvement at the CASE Summit for Leaders in Advancement in New York July 16. The Stewart Award recognizes an individual for service to one’s alma mater and is the highest honor that CASE presents to an alumni volunteer.

In addition to establishing several endowments, Lynch helped fund the construction of new residence halls and the Turner Lynch Campus Center, named in her honor, and provided the lead gift for the university’s first comprehensive campaign—Our Time. Beyond her financial support, Lynch has served on Oglethorpe’s Board of Trustees for 35 years during which she chaired multiple committees and served a term as board chair—the first woman to lead the board. She also co-chaired the Our Time campaign from 2010-2012, and currently serves as honorary co-chair for the campaign to raise support for the I.W. “Ike” Cousins Center for Science and Innovation.