A young man is walking along the ocean and sees a beach on which thousands and thousands of starfish have washed ashore. Further along he sees an old man, walking slowly and stooping often, picking one starfish after another and tossing each one gently into the ocean.

“Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” the young man asks.

“Because the sun is up and the tide is going out, and if I don’t throw them further in they will die.”

“But old man, don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it! You can’t possibly save them all, even if you work all day your efforts won’t make any difference at all.”

The old man listened calmly and then bent down to pick up another starfish and threw it into the sea. “It made a difference to that one.”

Such is the character that defines what it takes to receive the coveted Starfish Award, an annual student-nominated award presented to a Palo Alto faculty member.

This year’s Starfish Award recipient is Dr. Denise Barkis Richter, an assistant professor in the Communications Department. Honorable Mention was awarded to Richard Bonnell, lead instructor of Logistics

Management. Other nominees included Clark Galloway, ITSA; Maria Antonieta Galvan, Foreign Languages; Dorothy Haecker, Behavioral Sciences & Humanities; Richard Jenkins, Dual-Credit English; Caroline Mains, English; Luis Martinez, Spanish; Janet Rangel, Counseling and Support Service/PASSkey; Yolanda Reyna, Counseling and Support Services; Dale Robinson, Sciences; and Irma Sanchez, Library & Information Services.

Richter was born and raised in the small Southeast Texas town of Liberty, where she graduated from Liberty High School in 1979. She moved to San Antonio to attend Trinity University and graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, Radio, and Television and a minor in Spanish. While working as a public relations/development coordinator for the Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital, she decided to pursue a master’s degree in Communications. She graduated from the University of the Incarnate Word in 1990.

Denise spent her junior year of college in Madrid, Spain, where she fell in love with traveling to new places and experiencing different cultures. It was this passion that drove her to move away from public relations and into teaching.

When the opportunity arose, Richter began teaching as a Media Studies Instructor at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin, Texas in 1991. It was there that she discovered how much she really enjoyed teaching. She was encouraged by the dean of TLU to pursue her Ph. D. in Journalism, which she completed in 1998 at the University of Texas in Austin.

After sending out applications to schools across the United States, Richter was delighted to get a call from then-chair of Palo Alto’s English/COMM/FL & ESL Department, Stacey Johnson, a classmate from her UIW days.

Richter teaches COMM 1307: Introduction to Mass Communication, a media literacy course, COMM 2311: News Gathering and Writing, and COMM 2305: Editing, Layout and Design.

“What I love about teaching is that when you teach, you are constantly learning,” Richter said. She also said that seeing her students succeed is her greatest reward.

“How many careers give you the opportunity to know that you’ve made a positive impact in someone’s life?” she asked.

The student who nominated Richter wrote: “She has been my driving force here at Palo Alto, and she is tremendously responsible for me becoming the acommplished student and person that I am today.”

Runner-up Richard Bonnell of Logistics Management was recognized for his dedication and contribution toward students. Bonnel holds a bachelor’s in Engineering Management and a master’s in International Business.

Aside from his education, Bonnell has 30 years of experience in Logistics with the U.S. Air Force. Bonnell has been teaching as an adjunct at Palo Alto for three years, and he started last fall as a full-time instructor.

“I really do care about my students,” said Bonnell. “I understand that not all students are the same, they are all individuals, and I take the time to help students learn at an equal pace.”

A nomination letter from a student read, “Mr. Bonnell not only spends more time researching the materials for his classes, but additionally devotes part of each summer to teach the Texas Transportation Institute just to introduce high school students to Logistics as a potential career. He also contacts local high schools each year to inform them of the opportunities in Logistics. He has added a level of professionalism and pride in his department.”

Congratulations to Dr. Denise Barkis Richter, Mr. Richard Bonnell and all of the 2004 nominees. Only one teacher could be awarded the Starfish, but all of you make a difference.

Nominations for the Starfish Award are accepted in the fall semester. Contact the Student Activities Office for info.