Jay Henry, a 2007 West Virginia University graduate and former linebacker with the WVU football team, is the recipient of the WVU Alumni Associations Louis D. Meisel Award. The award is presented each year to a graduating member of the football team who has maintained the highest grade point average.
Jay Henry was not only a tremendous football player, he was an absolutely excellent student,said Steve Douglas, president and chief executive officer of the WVU Alumni Association.We are pleased to be able to present him with this award in recognition of his accomplishments.
Graduating with a 4.0 grade point average, the Tulsa, Okla., native received a bachelors degree in finance and accounting during WVU s 138th Commencement Ceremonies.
Henry has received numerous academic and athletic honors, including being chosen as one of WVU s 30 outstanding seniors. He was a semi-finalist for the National Football Foundation&College Hall of Fames 2006 Draddy Trophy, received the Anson Mount National Scholar Athlete award, the Presidential Award for Excellence in Scholarship and made the Deans List every semester.
In addition to his time spent on the WVU football team and his excellent academics, Henry volunteers for the WVU Childrens Hospital, the Boys and Girls Club and the Special Olympics. He is also a member of the National Honor Society, the Business Honorary Society, and an active member of Betta Gamma Sigma and Phi Kappa Phi.
Henry was presented with a $500 award as well as a plaque during the 2007 Alumni Luncheon and Vandalia ceremony on May 12th. He will begin his professional career in Charlotte, N.C., in June.
The award is named for Louis D. Meisel, a former player on the 1928 football team, and is awarded through the WVU Alumni Associations Loyalty Permanent Endowment Fund. Recipients of the award are recognized during the Associations annual alumni commencement luncheon.
The WVU Alumni Association, chartered in 1873, represents more than 165,000 University graduates residing in every county in West Virginia, every state in the union and approximately 60 foreign nations. With more than 70 registered chapters and constituent groups, the Associations 26,000 dues-paying members support Homecoming Weekend, the WVU Academy of Distinguished Alumni, Loyalty Permanent Endowment Fund and dozens of other social and philanthropic programs. For more information about the WVU Alumni Association, visithttp://alumni.wvu.edu/.