MUNCIE, Ind. -- Ball State University's Center for Gerontology presented four achievement awards at the recent Kirkpatrick Memorial Conference on aging.

Award recipients have continually shown a high degree of excellence in service, research or teaching.

Phyllis E. Irvine, Ball State professor of nursing, received the award for teaching. Irvine recently helped bring nursing and architecture students together to create models of the ideal living spaces for people living in nursing homes. Irvine has also presented numerous papers and posters related to aging at national and international conferences.

James H. McElhinney, Ball State professor of educational leadership, received the award for service. McElhinney has helped with many Center for Gerontology activities and has influenced and supported Ball State's Elderhostel program. For more than five years McElhinney coordinated the summer Administrators in Aging Program where more than 250 nursing home and health care providers received training and development.

Bruce W. Craig, Ball State professor of physical education, received the award for research. Craig conducted research on the effects of aging and exercise in muscle mass and hormonal responsiveness both at Ball State's Human Performance Laboratory and at the Swedish National Science Research Council in Stockholm. Craig is currently supervising a longitudinal study of the benefits of an organized exercise program for Ball State retirees.

A special achievement award was presented to Idona Compliment, administrative coordinator for the Center for Gerontology for more than 12 years and a Ball State employee for nearly 40 years. Compliment served as a key coordinator of the Kirkpatrick Conference and for the past three years has coordinated a teleconference on grief sponsored by the Hospice Foundation of America. She has also been a volunteer at Day Star and Stroke Club. Compliment retired this month.