August 2007

On Campus

Pope John XXIII Awards Recognize Distinguished Service

Nettie Mooney (left), a well-known community volunteer and philanthropist, and Sue Ann Thompson (right), the former first lady of Wisconsin and a national leader in women’s health, were named the 2007 recipients of the Pope John XXIII Award for Distinguished Service at the annual spring ceremony.

The Pope John XXIII Award is the highest non-academic award bestowed by the university. Recipients of the award are selected by the Viterbo Board of Advisors and are presented with the award at a banquet on campus.

Mooney was an early supporter in helping to establish the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership. She is also involved with numerous La Crosse community and civic organizations.

Thompson was known as Wisconsin’s first lady for 14 years during Tommy Thompson’s three and one-half terms as governor. A breast cancer survivor, she earned a national reputation promoting multiple causes as president of the Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation (WWHF), the organization she established in 1997. WWHF focuses on the six greatest threats to women’s health: cardiovascular disease, cancer, mental health, domestic violence, osteoporosis, and alcohol and tobacco use.