Denison student Maddy Murphy honored with Louis Kussmaul Friendship Award

Special to Granville Sentinel
·2 min read

Each year, Granville and Denison University recognize a Denison student who contributes to "the friendly relations between the village and college," with the Louis Kussmaul Friendship Award. Denison senior and class co-governor Madeleine "Maddy" Murphy was selected as the 2023 honoree, and her achievements were honored at the annual Friendship Award Ceremony on April 19. The ceremony was attended by many representatives of the community, including David English, Denison’s vice president of Finance and Management, Steve Matheny, director of the Granville Chamber of Commerce, and Kelly Mork, associate director for stewardship at Denison.

Maddy Murphy, a graduating Denison senior, speaks during an April 19 ceremony where she was honored with the Louis Kussmaul Friendship Award given by the Granville Area Chamber of Commerce and Denison University. The award is given annually a Denison student who contributes to the friendly relations between the village and college.
Maddy Murphy, a graduating Denison senior, speaks during an April 19 ceremony where she was honored with the Louis Kussmaul Friendship Award given by the Granville Area Chamber of Commerce and Denison University. The award is given annually a Denison student who contributes to the friendly relations between the village and college.

Murphy’s involvement with Camp Kesem, a free summer camp for children ages 6-18 who have a parent with cancer, and with the Granville Presbyterian Church made her a stand-out candidate for the award.

Her nominators noted, "In her role as a director for Denison’s chapter of Camp Kesem, Maddy has worked with the local Granville schools to identify students who might be likely Kesem campers and get them plugged into this free program. A previous Kesem camper herself, Maddy believes wholly in the power of connection for kids facing a parents’ cancer. She works tirelessly to ensure the Denison Kesem chapter is able to run summer camp every summer."

There are more than 100 camp locations across the country. Licking County's Camp Kesem launched in 2020 and is organized by Denison students.

2023 Louis Kussmaul Friendship Awardee Maddy Murphy, center, with Kelly Mork, Associate Director for Stewardship at Denison University, and Steve Matheny, Executive Director of the Granville Area Chamber of Commerce.
2023 Louis Kussmaul Friendship Awardee Maddy Murphy, center, with Kelly Mork, Associate Director for Stewardship at Denison University, and Steve Matheny, Executive Director of the Granville Area Chamber of Commerce.

At Granville Presbyterian, Murphy served for two years as a leader with the youth group, meeting weekly with Granville High School students, leading them in Bible study, and on retreats. "A member of a Presbyterian church back home in D.C. herself, it is important to Maddy that she grow in her faith alongside others and in this way she has come alongside the high school students at GranPres as a mentor, leader, and friend," the nomination states.

A politics, philosophy and economics major, Murphy has served as the speaker of Denison’s Campus Governance Association, is a docent in the Office of Admission, plays flute in the orchestra, and serves on various administrative committees related to student employment, student conduct, and campus life.

The Louis Kussmaul Friendship Award honors the memory of Louis Kussmaul, a Granville printer who worked for his brother William H. Kussmaul, publisher of the Granville Times from 1890 to 1899. The Award was funded by an endowed gift to Denison University from Harry Amos, a Denison alumnus of the Class of 1899. Amos, a fellow newspaperman, was editor of the Jeffersonian of Cambridge, Ohio. The Granville Area Chamber of Commerce and Denison University continue to honor the gift from Harry Amos by presenting this Award annually.

Information submitted by the Granville Area Chamber of Commerce.

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Denison student Maddy Murphy honored with Granville friendship award