The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford has renamed one of its top awards for business students in honor of associate professor emeritus David Blackmore.

The inaugural David L. Blackmore Award for Excellence in Business was given to Ashtin M. Moyer, a senior business management major from Lewis Run, at the university’s Honors Convocation Thursday, April 10, 2008.

Formerly the Wall Street Journal Award, the Blackmore is given to the outstanding business management senior.

“The criteria for selecting the student to receive this award are leadership in and out of the classroom and academic excellence,” said Lizbeth Matz, chairwoman of the division of management and education and an associate professor of business management. “These are qualities that Dave worked to instill in our students.”

 Blackmore began teaching business management at Pitt-Bradford in 1977 as one of the first professors hired when the campus began offering four-year degrees.

 Blackmore was the first professor of business at Pitt-Bradford and was instrumental in developing the philosophy and curriculum that are still at the core of the university’s business management program.

 “It was Dave’s leadership and vision that made the business program the success that it is today,” Matz said. “He understood that a good business management program needs to be rooted in the liberal arts. He was also a wonderful role model and mentor to the students.”

 During his 26-year career at Pitt-Bradford, Blackmore served as president of the Faculty Senate as well as the chairman of the business management department.

 In 2000, he was the recipient of the Pitt-Bradford Alumni Association Teaching Excellence Award.

 In 2003, alumni and friends established the David Blackmore Business Management Fund to provide scholarships to promising and deserving students who are majoring in business management.

 He and his wife, Marilyn, live in Kane.