Boyd ’68 and Gomez ’97 Recognized as 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients

Two Shenandoah Conservatory alumni were selected as 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients. They will be honored during the Alumni Celebration Dinner on Friday, Oct. 4, as part of Shenandoah University’s Homecoming & Family Weekend from Wednesday, Oct. 2, through Sunday, Oct. 6.

Sue Marston Boyd ’68

2019 Distinguished Alumni Award for Professional Achievement

For 37 years, Boyd taught in the keyboard division of Shenandoah Conservatory and was awarded the title of professor emerita of piano at the time of her retirement. During her time at the university, she received numerous awards, including Exemplary Teacher of the Year, the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award and the 1996 Distinguished Alumni Award for Service to the University. Outside of her position at the conservatory, she was an accompanist and chamber musician for numerous concerts, including at the Terrace Theatre of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the German Embassy, the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and with the Shenandoah Conservatory Trio on a concert tour in the Western Germany. Boyd is also involved in Arts Chorale of Winchester and the Virginia Music Teachers Association, and serves as the organist/pianist and choir director at Relief United Methodist Church in Winchester, Virginia. She received her Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Performance (piano) in 1968.

Victor R. Gomez ’97

2019 Distinguished Alumni Award for Service to the Community

In July 2018, Gomez was the first Latino to be appointed in Virginia as a district superintendent for the United Methodist Church, and he serves the Harrisonburg District. He served as senior pastor at Mount Olive and Relief United Methodist churches in Winchester, Virginia, and is the president and co-founder of LUCHA Ministries in Fredericksburg, Virginia. LUCHA is a nonprofit organization that upholds the rights of immigrants and their families. Gomez works with Shenandoah to help organize and direct mission trips to Jamaica, Mexico and Nicaragua. He also volunteers his time as chaplain for Frederick County and Winchester Fire and Rescue and has served on the Latino Advisory Board under two Virginia governors. Gomez received his Bachelor of Music in Composition in 1997.