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President Rebecca Chopp congratulates Dave Thomas '04 on winning the 1819 Award at Tuesday's award convocation at the Chapel. (Photo by Timothy Sofranko)

Dave Thomas, a philosophy major with a 3.89 GPA who helped lead the Raiders hockey team to the NCAA Tournament this season, received Colgate’s prestigious 1819 Award during Tuesday’s awards convocation.

The senior was among dozens of students honored by Colgate President Rebecca Chopp for their “excellence, for their contributions to this community, and for upholding Colgate’s finest traditions.” Professors and athletic coaches also were honored during the ceremony held at  Memorial Chapel.

Thomas is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. Besides the 1819 Award, he received the John T. (Jack) Mitchell Memorial Award (athletics), the M. Holmes Hartshorne Memorial Award for Excellence in Philosophy, and the Dr. Leo H. Speno '26 Prize (health sciences).

Chopp cited a selection committee member’s comments about how Thomas exemplified excellence and was respected by all his peers, and how a member of the dean’s staff said he achieved great success as a scholar-athlete with “grace and humility.”

Thomas was co-captain of the Raiders team that won 25 games this season, the second highest total in school history. Colgate earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, where it lost to Colorado College in the Midwest Regional.

“He was a pivotal player on this year’s team due to his intelligence and anticipation. He is a positive role model and mentor, and consistently demonstrates strong leadership skills,” said hockey coach Don Vaughan.

Thomas, of East Petersburg, Pa., said it was challenging to play four years of Division I hockey while keeping up his academics, but that he received a lot of support.

“At a lot of big schools you’d have to make a choice, one thing or the other. But it’s something that Colgate enables you to do. We compete at the highest level; at the same time Coach Vaughan and the rest of the staff always said that academics come first. If you have to miss practice, you have to miss practice.

“That’s what made this experience here so special,” said Thomas.

Thomas said he’s sometimes asked what he’s going to do with his degree in philosophy. He said his questioners are missing the point.

“I feel like I have all the all the tools to do whatever I want. Obviously, I can talk about Kant, Nietzsche, whoever. But it’s about a lot more than that for me. I come away with a better understanding of who I am and what I think about the world, about my opinion of the world. And that’s what is important to me.”

Thomas joked that he would constantly follow professors around campus, because the outside-the-classroom discussions he had were as valuable as the formal instruction.

“A lot of it for me comes outside the classroom. You can get one-on-one with somebody who can really talk about these subjects,” he said.

Thomas said his academic advisor, Maudemarie Clark, the George Carleton Jr. Professor of philosophy, was an enormous help to him. She helped him secure an NCAA post-graduate scholarship that Thomas learned about getting just hours before the awards convocation.

Thomas intends to use it to help pay for law school. His sister, Andrea Thomas ’99, is in her second year of law school at Emory University.

“I’ve always looked up to her. I used to see her grades every now and then when they got sent home. She’s always pushed me that way,” said Thomas.

First though, Thomas hopes to hook up with a professional hockey team in Europe. He never got to take advantage of Colgate’s off-campus study programs, so he’s relishing the chance to go abroad and continue playing hockey, which he loves.

Five Raiders players who graduated last year are playing professionally, either in Europe or in the States.

“I’d like to play a while longer while my body will still allow me,” he said.

Thomas was among the many students recognized Tuesday for achievement, from those winning Fulbright scholarships and the Dean’s Community Service Awards to departmental awards.

Professors and coaches were honored, as well.

The Phi Eta Sigma Professor-of-the-Year Award, which is chosen by students, was presented to Peter Scull, assistant professor of geography. The AAUP Professor-of-the-Year Award went to Marietta Cheng, professor of music and conductor of the Colgate University Orchestra. The Alumni Corporation Distinguished Teaching Award was given to Cheng and Scott Kraly, Charles A. Dana Professor of psychology. The Sidney J. and Florence Felten French Prize for Inspirational Teaching was won by Robert Elgie, professor of geography, and Ronald Hoham, professor of biology.

Women’s soccer coach Kathy Brawn received the Howard Hartman Coach-of-the-Year Award.