Savin Hill resident Karen Clements has been honored with the John S. Perkins Distinguished Service Award, bestowed annually on Boston University non-faculty members in recognition of their dedication to the University.
Clements, an administrative manager in the urology department at Boston University School of Medicine, was honored earlier this week where she received a plaque and $500. The urology department residents affectionately refer to Clements as “Mom.”
“That’s basically what she was,” one former resident wrote in a nominating letter. “She reminded us, first gently and then more forcefully, to get our stuff done. She streamlined things as much as she possibly could for us, but didn’t baby us. And she was the only one who always called us ‘doctor.’” And it isn’t just the residents who credit Clements with keeping the department running efficiently. Administrators and doctors also have kind words to say.
They describe her as “the right hand of the chairman,” “the invaluable program coordinator,” “the repository of so many facts and items,” “a multitasker beyond belief,” and “the glue that has held the department together since the early ‘80s.” Clements has been at BU since 1974.
“I started as a medical secretary/medical assistant and through the years added various responsibilities, and that variety truly keeps things in perspective,” she says. When she learned she had been selected for a Perkins award, her first reaction was surprise, but even more, she was “truly humbled that others thought of me enough to make the nomination,” she says. “I’m still trying to process the whole thing. To see former students, residents, and faculty reach their goals in life makes it all worthwhile.” Perkins selection committee co-chair Kathe Darr, a BU School of Theology professor of the Hebrew Bible, says that the awards represent a special honor, because they focus on BU staff members, who play a critical role in keeping the University operating. “You can’t have a university without its staff,” she says. “The people who write letters in support of those nominated for the Perkins acknowledge this in very clear ways. Without the staff, the University would not be able to thrive.”
