Wayne State University student Marzena E. Radzio of Sterling Heights will receive the David D. Henry Award during the university's winter commencement ceremonies at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 13, in Cobo Arena. She will address the graduating class, which numbers more than 3,200 students.

The Henry award, named for Wayne State's third president, is presented annually to a man and to a woman in the December graduating class who have distinguished themselves through outstanding contributions in the areas of leadership, service and student activities, consistent with high scholarship.

Radzio will receive a Bachelor of Science degree, with a major in honors chemistry and a co-major in university honors, from the WSU College of Science. A member of the Golden Key National Honor Society and Phi Beta Kappa, she has been recognized as Wayne State's outstanding chemistry graduate by the American Chemical Society and as the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society Distinguished Member, among numerous other awards.

She is captain of the Warriors women's tennis team, served as vice president on the Student Athlete Advisor Board and was a student representative on the search committee that reviewed candidates for the position of WSU athletic director.

As a volunteer at the Karmanos Cancer Institute, Radzio provides information and emotional support for patients and their families. She also volunteers at the Henry Ford Clinic and with recent Polish-speaking immigrants who wish to improve their English language skills. As a member and past president of Phi Eta Sigma, she has been active in many community and university events, including the pre-medical banquet, America's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Channel 56 telethon.

The male recipient of the Henry Award is Raul Martell of Detroit, who will receive a bachelor's degree in mathematics from WSU's College of Science.

Receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award will be community activist and educator John Telford of Detroit. He made his early mark at Wayne State as a record setting runner on the track team. In 1957, he ranked second nationally in the quarter mile and competed around the world. He was inducted into the WSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1978.

Following graduation from WSU, Telford took a position as a track coach and teacher at Southeastern High School in Detroit while working toward master's and doctoral degrees at his alma mater. Subsequently, he held administrative positions at a number of Detroit-area school districts and at Macomb Community College.

Concerns regarding racial injustice led to Telford's involvement as an executive with Team for Justice, a group that fights bigotry and advocates for people ensnared in the criminal justice system. He has worked with the Anti-Defamation League and is former executive director of the Safe Neighborhoods Action Plan in Detroit. He is active in education programs for in-house delinquent and abandoned boys at Wolverine Human Services.

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 14 schools and colleges to more than 31,000 students in metropolitan Detroit.