OA - Summer 2024

The Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Distinguished Alumni Award (DAA) was presented during the 190th Commencement Ceremony this past May. The 2024 recipient, Barbara L. Brugnaux ’70, joins other DAA winners such as Jean Wilkowski ’41, Barbara Doherty, SP, ’53, Dorothy Weinz Jerse ’75, and the most recent honoree in 2022, Dr. Sharon Harley ’69. Brugnaux’s journey is courageous and compassionate while exhibiting inspirational leadership and service in her groundbreaking accomplishments. She has left an indelible mark on both the community and her alma mater. She came to SMWC from Youngstown, Ohio, choosing The Woods because it was the only Catholic women’s college east of the Mississippi to offer a journalism major. After earning her degree, she began her career as a reporter for the Terre Haute Tribune, entering a field dominated by men. She earned her master’s degree in journalism from The Ohio State University in 1974. She went on to earn her law degree from Indiana University and was admitted to practice law in 1985. Brugnaux was in private practice for nearly a decade, with seven of those years serving as a deputy prosecutor. In 1994, she became the first woman appointed to a Vigo County court; in 1996, she became the first woman elected to a Vigo County court. She established the Vigo County Drug Court in 1996, only the second program of its kind in Indiana and among 150 nationwide. The court offers nonviolent offenders who are battling substance abuse the opportunity to engage in intense treatment and avoid criminal convictions. Her advocacy for women’s rights

and social justice has been a beacon of hope and inspiration with such nonprofits as 100 Women Who Care of Vigo County, Council on Domestic Abuse, Covered Bridge Girl Scout Council, TREES Inc., and Wabash Valley Master Gardeners Association. A frequent speaker on substance abuse and criminal justice issues

Following two elected terms as a superior court judge, Brugnaux continued to serve the community as a senior judge throughout a seven county area until 2022. Brugnaux has been active with the College since graduation. She has served in a variety of roles including professor of journalism, director of public relations and in recent years, volunteered in the office of advancement. She served on the Alumni Board of Directors and remains an active member of the Terre Haute Alumni Club. In 2022, she retired from 11 years of service on the SMWC Board of Trustees, the last two as chair of the board. Her tenure on the board included the decision to become coeducational in 2015, and, as chair, she helped guide the institution through significant growth and the construction of Les Bois Hall. During Ring Day’s keynote address in April, she told recipients, “Whatever may happen in your lives, now that you have achieved this milestone and have earned the privilege of receiving your Woods ring, never lose your sense of curiosity and your commitment to make your corner of the world a better place. If you do that, you will continue to sow the seed Mother Theodore first planted here in 1840, and your roots will remain firmly planted at The Woods; you will continue her legacy, which becomes our legacy, and your branches will grow and strengthen.” Brugnaux’s accomplishments are only outweighed by her passion for The Woods. Her life is characterized by a legacy of success and her unwavering dedication to improving the world, one person and one interaction at a time.

Distinguished

Alumni

Award

Presented to

Barbara L. Brugnaux ’70

at state and national conferences, seminars, area services clubs and bar associations, Brugnaux has been recognized with numerous honors, including the Public Servant of the Year from the Wabash Valley Labor Council, the League of Women Voters Make Democracy Work award, the Harry S. Truman award and the Distinguished Alumni Award from Cardinal Mooney High School, among others.

By Catherine Mickey Saunders ’98, Vice President for Advancement

15