Alumni Award Citations

Alumna of the Year Award

LTG Mary (Biglow ’91) Krueger Izaguirre

Alumna of the Year Award

Houghton University

Friday, October 2, 2026

In 1987, Highlander Wilderness Adventure stretched and challenged an 18-year-old freshman named Mary Biglow, pushing her well beyond what was familiar. No one could have imagined how significant that experience would become in a journey that would lead her to become the U.S. Army's 46th Surgeon General.

Now known as Lieutenant General Mary Izaguirre, she carried that new willingness to step beyond her comfort zone into campus life. With encouragement from friends, she ran for and was elected student senator. It was the first step in a leadership journey that would extend far beyond Houghton. She went on to serve as Student Senate Chaplain, President of the Campus Activities Board and, eventually, President of Student Government. Meanwhile, the Paine Center for Science became her second home as she studied Biology in preparation for medical school. She also found time to ride horses and write for the Houghton STAR.

Mary was well prepared for medical school in Philadelphia but faced a significant financial hurdle. For the first time, she considered Army service. She weighed values she had strengthened at Houghton: a call to serve others, a strong pull toward community and, thanks in part to Highlander, a desire for adventure.

It proved an excellent decision, for Mary and for the Army. After graduating from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, she completed her family medicine residency at Madigan Army Medical Center in Washington state. While there, she also earned a Master's in Public Health from the University of Washington. In more than 30 years of service, her work has taken her to Iraq, Afghanistan and Eritrea, caring for U.S. military personnel, their families and the citizens of the regions where she served. In 2021, she was named Commanding General of Medical Readiness Command, East. She was then promoted to Lieutenant General and appointed Surgeon General of the United States Army and Commanding General of U.S. Army Medical Command.

Her honors include the Legion of Merit with two Oak Leaf Clusters and the Army Distinguished Service Medal. She and her husband, Joseph, have five children, ages 9 to 27.

For her outstanding contributions to the U.S. Army and those who selflessly serve and defend our country, for her exceptional leadership in medicine here and abroad as Surgeon General, and for her commitment to Christ and the advancement of His Kingdom, it is my honor and privilege to present Lieutenant General Mary Izaguirre with the highest honor Houghton University can bestow upon its alumni: the 2026 Alumna of the Year.

Young Alumna of the Year Award

Kaylee (Haller ’19) Fisher

Young Alumna of the Year Award

Houghton University

Friday, October 2, 2026

Kaylee Haller, now Kaylee Fisher, arrived at Houghton in the fall of 2015 with clear expectations. She knew she would play volleyball, live in Gillette Hall, write for the Houghton Star and take classes that would expand her worldview and challenge her thinking. What this aspiring missionary from Maryland could not have known was that Houghton would awaken in her a passion for justice. That passion would lead her to devote much of her early career to international public service, with a particular focus on religious freedom.

In classes like Women in the Bible with Dr. Kristina LaCelle-Peterson, Class of 1982, and Religious Movements with Dr. Jon Case, Kaylee was drawn to caring for the oppressed and pursuing justice on their behalf. Her International Studies degree and an internship with the European Disability Forum while studying abroad in Belgium paved the way for work with World Relief and the Institute for Global Engagement. She then became Global Operations Director for IRF Roundtable, part of the International Religious Freedom Secretariat, based in Washington, D.C.

At IRF Roundtable, Kaylee advocated for religious minorities around the globe, including the Yazidi people of Northern Iraq, Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and Coptic Christians in Egypt. She organized weekly meetings of leaders from around the world, inspiring partnerships to protect vulnerable groups and ensure religious freedom.

Kaylee recently became a Public Affairs Specialist with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. The commission monitors religious freedom violations worldwide and advises the President, the Secretary of State and Congress. Earlier this year, she was also accepted into the Master of International Policy and Practice program at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs.

Kaylee also remembers Missions and the Global Church with Dr. Marcus Dean. "That was the first time I realized that my reality was not even close to the reality of most of the world," she says. "That class called me out of my self-centered views to discover who God is to the suffering."

Kaylee is here today with her husband, Dr. Zachary Fisher, Class of 2018, another rich blessing she found at Houghton. For her exceptional commitment to promoting, preserving and advocating for religious freedom for minorities around the world, and for exemplifying the life of a fearless scholar-servant, please join me in congratulating Kaylee Haller Fisher, Houghton University's 2026 Young Alumna of the Year.

Alumni Christian Service Award

Barbara (Amidon ’62) Patrick

Alumni Christian Service Award

Houghton University

Friday, October 2, 2026

Eighty-one years ago, an eight-year-old farm girl was excited when her mother brought home a gift from her house-cleaning job. It was a copy of the Boulder, Houghton College's yearbook, and it would change the course of young Barbara Amidon's life. She read it cover to cover and announced that one day she would attend Houghton. It was a bold declaration from a girl who had never heard of college and whose family had never attended—but she held true to her word.

Barbara brought the work ethic she learned on the farm to her studies and graduated from high school with excellent marks. But her parents could not afford college, so, powered by faith and grit, she found a way. She was chosen from 120 applicants for a competitive laboratory supervisor training program. That program let her earn the money to fulfill her dream.

Barbara graduated from Houghton in 1962 with a major in Psychology and a minor in Chemistry. Like many of you, she was the first in her family to earn a college degree. She also met her husband, Elwyn, at Houghton, and together they would have an incredible Kingdom impact through their ministry.

While Elwyn attended Asbury Theological Seminary, Barbara worked as a hospital laboratory supervisor, a career she continued until retirement. At the University of Kentucky Medical School, she was part of the first kidney transplant team.

But Barbara's lasting legacy is her leadership, perseverance and dedication as a woman of prayer serving local churches and the Wesleyan denomination. Along with supporting Elwyn as he pastored Wesleyan churches, she served for 25 years as Director of Women's Ministries for the Central New York District. The retreat she first planned in 1985 is still thriving today. She also helped send World Hope mission teams to Haiti after the devastating 2010 earthquake.

Barbara served as Northeast General Director of Wesleyan Women and for eight years on the Wesleyan Church's General Board of Administration. During her eight years on Houghton's Board of Trustees, she recruited more students who went on to attend Houghton than any other Board member.

Barbara and Elwyn will celebrate 64 years of marriage this December. They have two children, including Debra Hyde, Class of 1985, and three grandchildren.

For her tireless and tenacious leadership in serving Houghton and the Wesleyan Church, and for her selfless investment in the lives and eternities of so many, Houghton University is pleased to present this year's Alumni Christian Service Award to Barbara Amidon Patrick.

FEARLESS Award

Honus Wagner ’20

FEARLESS Award

Houghton University

Friday, October 2, 2026

Frederick Buechner defines calling as "the place where our deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." Honus Wagner arrived on campus in 2016 already seeking to live out God's calling.

For example. through Journey's End Tutoring, Honus recruited and trained fellow students to travel to Buffalo on Saturday mornings. They helped refugee families master English and navigate life as new Americans. In 2019, he received the Barnabas Servant Leadership Award.

In May 2018, Honus traveled with me and other Houghton students to Sierra Leone for the first time. He immediately felt a deep connection with its people, and we returned there the following year.

After graduating with a degree in International Development, Honus joined Catholic Charities in Rochester. He still serves there as a Transitional Case Manager, helping individuals and families move from homelessness, poverty or foster care toward independence.

His passion for Sierra Leone never faded. He kept working to master Krio, the country's most widely spoken language. In early 2022, he organized a GoFundMe campaign that raised the $5,000 needed to finish the Kamasaypayna Community School in Northern Sierra Leone.

Later that year, Honus finally returned with a team from Jericho Road, the Buffalo-based ministry founded by Houghton alumnus Dr. Myron Glick, Class of 1988. He helped prepare for a new health clinic and conducted an economic development study. The school's entire student body greeted him and thanked him for making their dream a reality.

That celebration was the high point of the journey. Almost immediately afterward came an illness that nearly cost Honus his life.

Back in the United States, he was first diagnosed with Covid-19. As his condition worsened, he was placed on a ventilator and was even read his last rites. When doctors discovered he actually had a severe case of malaria, his prognosis changed. He recovered, but only after losing fingers and toes.

In 2024, Honus was invited back to his beloved Sierra Leone. Before he left, he said, "I can live my life in fear, or I can return to Sierra Leone and live out my calling." He returned in 2025 as an honored guest of Daniel Sara Turay, newly elected Paramount Chief of the Kalanthuba Chiefdom. It will not be his last visit.

For his exceptional commitment to fearlessly carrying out the greatest commandment, to serve God and others here and in Sierra Leone, even in the face of tremendous adversity, Houghton University is humbled to present Honus Wagner with this year's Fearless Award.