The Altoona Area High School Alumni Association has announced the winners of its Distinguished Alumni Awards that will be presented the weekend of Sept. 12-13.

The awards were established in 2000 to honor graduates who have achieved greatness in their chosen fields and through public service. Those chosen this year include:

— Col. Joseph Fraundorfer of Bethesda, Md., graduated from Altoona Area High School in 1978. A distinguished aerospace engineer and military veteran, Fraundorfer holds a BS in aerospace engineering from Penn State University, where he was also a member of the wrestling team, and advanced degrees in international studies from Air War College, an MS in computer science from West Coast University, and an MS in engineering from Johns Hopkins University. His extensive military career as an air warfighter included operational tours in Panama for counter-drug operations, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, with significant battlefield experience plus Combatant-Command HQ CENTCOM/EUCOM & Air Staff. He served as a Space Shuttle Test Engineer from 1982-1985. At the Pentagon, he served with AF Irregular Warfare Office, lead for AF Directed Energy Weapons requirements, AF representative to Afghanistan/Pakistan cell. He holds 10 US patents and is the founder/CEO of C2JIndustries, LLC, an engineering small business focused on renewable energy products.

— Fredina Ingold of Port Matilda graduated from Altoona Area High School in 1971. A pioneering figure in women’s athletics, Ingold served as the director of athletics at Penn State Altoona for 37 years, leaving an indelible mark on the institution and the broader landscape of collegiate sports. She played on the first AAHS Lady Lions basketball team and was a standout student-athlete at Penn State University in softball and volleyball. She later won the National Racquetball Championship in 1988. In 1990, She was the first woman inducted into the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame. Her contributions to athletics were further honored with induction into the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Hall of Fame in 2017 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the WISE Women of Blair County. She holds a bachelor of science in kinesiology from Penn State University and a master of science in business and human relations from Amberton University in Garland, Texas.

— Michael A. Kooman, Class of 2002, is an Emmy-nominated composer based in New York, recognized for his distinctive contributions to musical theater and animated television.

He earned a bachelor of fine arts in composition with honors from Carnegie Mellon University School of Music, with a minor in conducting and a minor in double bass performance. He continued his education attending the Johnny Mercer Songwriting Workshop at Northwestern University, the BMI Musical Theater Workshop, and was a recipient of the Dramatist Guild Fellowship, mentored by Ahrens & Flaherty. His musical theater works include “Romantics Anonymous,” which premiered at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, and “Finn,” a Kennedy Center-commissioned children’s musical that debuts in November 2025. His discography comprises three albums: The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes (2019), Orphie and the Book of Heroes (2018), and Out of Our Heads: The Music of Kooman & Dimond (2011). As a testament to his commitment to nurturing new talent, he serves as the director of the New York Youth Symphony Musical Theater Songwriting Program.

— Dr. Kelly M. Miller of Corpus Christi, Texas, graduated from Altoona Area High School in 1986. She is the president of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, leading a community of 11,400 students and 1,359 faculty and staff.

She holds a bachelor of arts in communications from the University of Pittsburgh and an master of arts and Ph.D. in speech communications from Penn State University. Starting as the youngest full-time faculty member at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi at age 26, she has served as provost and vice president for academic affairs, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, director of the School of Arts, Media & Communication, and chair of the Department of Communication and Theatre. Miller has received numerous awards, including LULAC’s Outstanding Community Leadership Award, the American GI Forum Standing Up for Veterans Award, the Dr. Hector P. Garcia Legacy Award, and the Textbook Excellence Award for her textbook Business and Professional Communication: KEYS for Workplace Excellence, 4th Edition. She was named an Outstanding Alumna by Penn State University. Her career is marked by a steadfast commitment to education, communication and service making her a transformative figure in higher education.

— Harold W. Stitt, a 1960 graduate of Altoona High School who passed away on April 26, 2023, is the deceased alumnus who will be recognized this year.

Stitt began his career as a bookkeeper at a local shop and later worked as a machinist apprentice for the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. in 1962. On Jan. 29, 1966, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, completing flight school in 1967. Stitt served 20 years in the Army, retiring as a Major in 1986. His service included two tours in Vietnam as a Huey helicopter pilot, logging 1,300 combat flight hours. During his 1970 tour, he served as aircraft commander for General Creighton Abrams. Stitt earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses (1st Oak Leaf Cluster), a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.

Throughout his military career, he held roles as a flight instructor, professor of military science, and served in the Ballistic Defense Command in Huntsville, Ala. While in the Army, he earned a bachelor of science in accounting from Columbus College and an master of science in business administration from the University of North Alabama. After retiring, Stitt actively participated in multiple Vietnam Veteran Associations and was inducted into the Madison County Hall of Heroes in November 2016.

On Friday, Sept. 12, the honorees will spend the day at Altoona Area High School. In addition to touring the school, they will visit classrooms and talk with students. They will also have the opportunity to visit the AAHS Alumni Association Museum in the Altoona Area Public Library.

An awards dinner will be held at the Jaffa Shrine Saturday evening, Sept. 13. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased in the AAHS Alumni Office, 1201 Eighth Ave., Altoona, PA 16602 or online at www.aahsalumni.org. The deadline to purchase tickets is Sept. 5.

There have been 55 recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Awards. The program is sponsored by the Judith Filler Bright ’54 Memorial Fund.

For more information, contact Paula Foreman, AAHS Alumni Association executive director, at 814-946-8424.