PSU alumnus Wallace R. Stevens has been chosen to speak at this year’s spring Graduate Studies commencement exercises.
Stevens and his wife, Meredith, are both graduates of the Plymouth State class of 1962 and have dedicated much of lives to the continual growth and success of Plymouth State University. Stevens is currently Chair of the Plymouth State University President’s Council, a group dedicated to raising funds that advance the future goals for the University. Stevens also served as a member on the Presidential Search Committee, which selected Dr. Sarah Jayne Steen as PSU’s fourteenth president.
Stevens’ and his wife’s most recent contribution to PSU is the Stevens-Bristow Endowed Professorship, the first of its kind at Plymouth.
“The Stevens-Bristow Endowed Professorship will honor faculty members from any discipline who work in teacher preparation,” said President Steen, “and thus, education for the educators.”
Stevens’ strong commitment to the University is rooted in his belief that the education received at Plymouth helped him become involved in his successful career. After graduating from Plymouth, he joined the Army for three years. When his stint in the armed forces ended, Stevens became a plant controller at Sylvania Electric. In 1970, Stevens started a three-decade career in the fish industry.
Stevens’ first 17 years were spent with Booth Fisheries, which he left to serve as the president for Ocean Products, Inc., a Maine-based salmon aquaculture business. Stevens later became the president of Slade Gorton & Co., one of the largest marketers and distributors of seafood in the nation. Stevens held this position until he retired.
Stevens also took part in many different organizations throughout his rewarding and full career and still remains an active part of the business community. He served as a chair for the National Fishery Institute, and is currently the president of the American Seafood Distributors Association, a prominent defender of fair and free international trade of seafood products. He is also the director of the Newmarket Business Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to continual growth in and around Newmarket, M.A.
The graduate commencement will be held in the John C. Foley Gymnasium on Saturday, May 12.