In 2020 the Castleton Alumni Association recognized the accomplishments of Stephen Earley ‘69 with the University’s Outstanding Alumni Award. This award was to be presented to Earley at the annual Castleton Gala in June 2020 which was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will instead be presented at a small campus awards gathering in August.
Established in 2005, the Outstanding Alumni Award recognizes alumni who have distinguished themselves through their professional accomplishments and displayed exemplary service to the University, community, and/or humanitarian efforts.
Before retirement in 2002, Earley dedicated thirty years of service as a teacher and educational administrator in the state of Vermont. Post-retirement, Earley remained dedicated to education and school safety as a member of the Vermont School Crisis Planning Team for the next 11 years. His team created the Vermont School Safety Guide, which is still currently in use, and Earley made hundreds of presentations on school preparedness to teachers, administrators, secretaries, parents, school boards, and community first responders.
He also served as the Chief Instructor of the Northeast Region Audi Quattro Club and trained instructors and participants in the skills of high-performance driving at racetracks throughout New England and Quebec. He holds a national competition license with BMW Club Racing and races a 1988 BMW E30 M-3. Earley currently runs a small company concentrating on investment opportunities, land management, and financing new home construction.
With nearly 30 years of giving totaling nearly $100,000, Earley’s impact on Castleton and its students will be felt for generations. He continues to engage with the University on a variety of levels including helping to organize and attend class reunions and events, as well as philanthropically supporting important University endeavors such as student scholarships and athletics.
Earley graduated from Castleton in 1969 with a BS in Social Sciences. He holds a MA in Colonial History and Diplomacy from the University of New Hampshire, and a CAS Degree in Educational Administration from the University of Vermont.