The “Life G” Award, Geneva’s highest alumni honor, is presented each year to a graduate for service above self, one who embodies the principles for which Geneva College stands, and whose efforts on behalf of the College, the community, and the nation have been exemplary.

2022

Dr. Jerry F. O’Neill ’69

Dr. Jerry F. O’Neill ’69 was born and raised in Winchester, KS and attended Winchester Rural High School excelling in sports, particularly basketball, scoring a game-high 61 points in one game. He graduated from Geneva College in 1969, but not before marrying his college sweetheart, Ann Birdsall, in 1968.

In 1979, Jerry followed the Lord’s leading and attended the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (RPTS) and also taught at Trinity Christian School part time. Prior to graduating from RPTS, he received a call to be the Pastor of the Columbus, Indiana, RP Church, where he served for fourteen years until 1995.

Dr. O’Neill has served the Reformed Presbyterian Church in many different capacities, including the Geneva College Board of Corporators from 1981-1997; Geneva College Board of Trustees, 1994-2002 and Board of Trustees, Synod of RPC, from 1982-1988.

In 1994, Jerry was elected by the Synod of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America to serve as the fourth President of RPTS and moved to Pittsburgh in 1995 to assume this role.

 

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Paul ’67 & Joy (Morgan) ’68 Jewell Joy (Morgan) Jewell

Joy Jewell graduated from Geneva in 1968 and was first employed at Geneva in 1985. Her initial appointment was as Director of Career Development, Aviation Program Adviser, Instructor in the Department of Speech, and Director/Coach of the Forensics Team. In 1994 she was appointed Vice President of Student Development. She served on the Leadership Team and had consistently been present in the classroom throughout her entire career at Geneva.

Paul Jewell graduated from Geneva in 1967 with a B.A in Speech Communication. He served as the Executive Director of Alumni Affairs from 1968-1976. Paul came back to Geneva as a PT Faculty member in DCP from 2001-2007 and served as a first-year student L&T staff mentor from 2005-2007.

Paul and Joy met as undergraduates at Geneva and got married in 1968. Their marriage was blessed with three children (Christy, Todd, and Jonathan), and seven grandchildren (Juliana, Braden, Ava Rose, Christian, MacKenzee, Austin, and Grayson). They loved having the opportunity to serve the students at Geneva College, until Joy retired as Dean of Students, Emeritus, in 2008.

We honor Paul and Joy’s legacy posthumously as they both are now together with the Lord – Joy on May 8, 2020 and Paul on April 11, 2022.