Nine Cornell alumni will be honored with the Frank H.T. Rhodes Exemplary Alumni Service Awards today (Sept. 26) for their outstanding long-term commitment as Cornell volunteers within the broad spectrum of the university's various alumni organizations.

The 2008 recipients are: Ellen Gussman Adelson '58 and Stephen J. Adelson '55, Henry E. Bartels '48 and Nancy Horton Bartels '48, Don S. Follett '52 and Mibs Martin Follett '51, Robert H. Metcalf, MBA '61, Martha Ohaus '47 and the late Stephen H. Weiss '57.

The following profiles were excerpted from tonight's recognition program.

The Adelsons:

A member of the Cornell Board of Trustees since 1994 and a presidential councillor since 2003, Ellen Adelson was a driving force behind creating the Cornell Club of Oklahoma. She has served on the College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Council since 1984, played a crucial role as the southwest regional chair for the Arts and Sciences Campaign Committee in the 1990-95 Cornell campaign and co-chaired the successful Lincoln Hall Renaissance campaign. Steve Adelson is involved in numerous civic and Cornell involvements in Tulsa; he served as president of the Cornell Club of Oklahoma, as a Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network contact for prospective students and is a member of the President's Circle Committee. The couple host receptions at their home for students and invite all the current students from Oklahoma to join them for "pizza and pop" when they're on campus.

The Bartels:

Among the university's most innovative and pioneering leaders, Nancy and Hank Bartels have shown an extraordinary commitment to Cornell. From their visionary leadership in establishing the Bartels World Affairs Program to bring such world leaders as the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu to campus to their passionate support of Shoals Marine Laboratory and Cornell Athletics, the Bartels give back in time and effort. Nancy has been a member of Cornell University Council since 1971, serving on the International Programs committee, and Hank served on the council for 11 years. Both have been honored as lifetime council members and as presidential councillors.

The Folletts:

Both Mibs and Don Follett have achieved life membership status on the Cornell University Council. Together and individually they have provided vital leadership in class reunion fundraising and planned giving for the past 20 years. Mibs has served with distinction on the Cornell University Council's Student and Academic Services Committee, and Don has excelled in his leadership and contributions to the council's Student and Academic Services and Technology Transfer committees. The Folletts also have been tireless ambassadors for Cornell in their home communities in Pennsylvania and Florida.

Robert H. Metcalf:

For over two decades, Metcalf was a leader in Cornell and Johnson School alumni activities in Rochester, N.Y. He served three terms on the Cornell University Council and has served as an officer in the Federation of Cornell Clubs and the Cornell Alumni Federation. He has also dedicated himself to the Johnson School Alumni Association and lent his leadership expertise as president of his class on the Johnson School Alumni Association Board of Directors and as a member of the Dean's Leadership Committee.

Martha Ohaus:

Ohaus has been active in the Cornell Clubs of New York City (charter member), Northern New Jersey, Eastern Florida, Asheville, N.C., and Coastal Connecticut. She has served the Cornell University Council; the Plantations Committee for the 21st Century; and multiple College of Human Ecology organizations. She regularly hosts alumni events in her home and has participated in many fundraising efforts. She also is an active citizen in her home community.

Stephen H. Weiss:

Weiss served Cornell in the highest levels of its governance for more than 30 years. He helped create the Cornell Medical College Board of Overseers in 1980 and served with distinction as its first chair. He served 24 years on the Cornell Board of Trustees, including eight as chair. He participated in the selection of every Cornell president since Frank H.T. Rhodes and provided valuable insight as a presidential councillor. Prior to his untimely death in spring 2008, he was serving as co-chairman of the Major Gifts Committee for Far Above … The Campaign for Cornell. His involvement at the college level included many years of service on the Arts and Sciences and Veterinary College advisory councils. He helped establish and co-hosted the Annual Lynch-Weiss Campus Visit that brought alumni to Ithaca for one day each fall to catch up on current issues and ideas.