NIC names outstanding alumni for 2006
The North Idaho College Alumni Association recently named Dick Compton and Ace Walden this year’s outstanding alumni awards recipients.
Compton, ‘53, was selected by the NIC Alumni Association as the 2006 Alumnus of the Year for his commitment to the college and the community.
A fifth-generation Idahoan, Compton graduated from high school in Spirit Lake before attending North Idaho College and Gonzaga University in the 1950s.
A 32-year business career with IBM took Compton and his wife Janette all over the world. His last assignment was in Hong Kong, where he served as the public sector consultant to all IBM operations in the Pacific Rim countries.
In 1994, Compton was elected Kootenai County commissioner, a position he held for two terms. He also served six years on the board of directors for the Idaho Association of Counties, Jobs Plus and the Panhandle Area Council. He was elected to the Idaho State Senate in 2002. He became chairman of the Health and Welfare Committee in 2004, facilitating landmark legislation aimed at redesigning the health care system to save taxpayers money.
Compton is also active at NIC, serving as a member of the Alumni Association, a donor and a cabinet member and volunteer for the NIC Foundation’s recent Providing Opportunities – Fulfilling Dreams Community Campaign. Compton was involved in the 1953 NIC Class Reunion held in 2003.
Walden was recognized as the NIC Alumni Association’s 2006 Honorary Alumnus of the Year in honor of nearly 30 years of service to NIC.
Walden, who recently celebrated his 99th birthday, was a founding member of the nonprofit NIC Foundation in 1977. He continued to serve the NIC Foundation for 29 years as a board member, witnessing the organization’s growth from infancy to currently managing more than $10 million in assets.
Walden, a longtime Coeur d’Alene resident and retired banker, contributed the first major gift to the NIC capital campaign prior to the campaign kickoff in July of 2004. His gift named a classroom in the college’s new Meyer Health and Sciences Building in honor of his family.
Walden, who is also active with the NIC Booster Club, said he is proud to have been a part of other new building construction and land acquisitions at the college and to have helped guide its development. In honor of his service, Walden was also honored by the NIC Foundation last year with the first Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the organization.