FRANKLIN, Ind. – Franklin College will pay tribute to three graduates during the Hail to Franklin Awards program and reception on Friday, October 10, at 6 p.m., at Garment Factory Events in downtown Franklin. Two of the honorees reside in Johnson County.
The annual awards program is a highlight of Homecoming and recognizes individuals for their outstanding professional and/or community achievements as well as service to the College. Honorees are selected from nominations reviewed by the Alumni Council, which established the awards program in 1954.
Below are the three Franklin College alumni receiving awards.
Thurman V. Alvey III, class of 1996, D.O., will be presented with the Distinguished Alumni Award. Alvey has built an impressive career in sports medicine at his outpatient practice with Forté Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. His career spans nearly every level of athletic competition, from high school and collegiate events to NCAA tournaments and international play with USA Sled Hockey. Since 2012, he has also served as a team physician for the Indianapolis Colts, overseeing the franchise’s concussion program and becoming the lead medical physician in 2022. As a Franklin College student, Alvey played football, joined Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, and served as a resident assistant. Today, he supports his alma mater through philanthropy, student engagement, and alumni hiring. He and his wife live in Greenwood and have four daughters.
Baylee Pinnick-Williams, class of 2011, receives the Young Alumni Award. Pinnick-Williams has devoted her career to protecting children and strengthening families, all while staying actively engaged with her college alma mater. She serves as Johnson County’s local office director for the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS), leading 40 staff members and managing cases of children under court supervision for abuse or neglect. She serves on the Johnson County Community Corrections Board and the county’s Attendance Review Committee, and participates in Partners In Education at Sugar Grove Elementary. At Franklin College, she was active in Pi Beta Phi sorority. Today, she returns to campus to speak in classes, share career insights with students, and recruit graduates for DCS through job fairs. She and her husband reside in Greenwood with their two daughters and a son.
Suzanne (Nekvasil) Robinson, class of 1987, will be honored with the Hail to Franklin Award. Robinson has achieved success in corporate communications and continues to make a meaningful impact in communities and at Franklin College. At Elevance Health (formerly Anthem, Inc.), Robinson leads culture communications, celebrating employees who live the company’s values and overseeing foundation communications that promote volunteerism and giving. At Franklin College, she served nearly a decade on the Alumni Council, including two years as president, where she launched task forces aligning alumni expertise with the college’s strategic priorities and helped establish two scholarship funds. She remains active through class reunion planning, Tri Delta sorority’s alumnae activities, and college philanthropy. She and her husband live in Carmel and have two sons.
