50 Distinguished Years

Fifty years ago, in 1963, Alfred Pugno (BS '33) was honored as the very first recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award at Western Michigan University.

The biography on Pugno's award plaque reads:

An outstanding student athlete while at Western, Mr. Pugno was a respected public school teacher and coach before entering the insurance profession. 

In 1959, he was selected by the New York Life Insurance Company as their "Man of the Year" in recognition of his outstanding service in civic affairs. 

He also served his alma mater as president of the WMU Alumni Association.

As a student, Pugno lettered in basketball during his senior year. He was president of the "W" Club and a member of the Commerce Club, one of the largest and most active organizations on campus. In 1988, Pugno was honored as a member of the Athletic Hall of Fame. He was also awarded "Man of the Year" by the Varsity "W" Club.

Four of Pugno's five children are WMU alumni. He passed away in 1975.

In 2013, all past living recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award were invited back to campus to be honored at special reception during Homecoming weekend.

To learn more about past Distinguished Alumni recipients, please follow the link below.

MyWMU — Past Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients