O'Neil graduates cum laude from Plymouth State

Daniel P. O'Neil, son of Dennis and Karen O'Neil of Center Conway, graduated cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in history from Plymouth State College on May 18.O'Neil was a member of the Phi Alpha Theta International History Honor Society and was chapter president from 2001-2002. He was among three undergraduates who were requested to present a paper at the Phi Alpha Theta Regional Conference in Boston, Mass. O'Neil's paper, "Charles In Charge?: King Charles I and the Presumption of Guilt," is currently being considered for an award and publication by Phi Alpha Theta. O'Neil was also a member of the Pi Gamma Mu Social Science Honor Society and received the Outstanding Senior History Major in May, 2002. During his time at Plymouth, he was a three-year member of the PSC Forensics Team and was its chapter president from 2000-2001, traveling to many state, regional and national debating competitions in the United States and Canada. O'Neil received the PSC Senior Debate Award and broke PSC's record for all-time wins by a single debater. O'Neil is also a corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, Marine Wing Support Squadron 472, stationed in Chicopee, Mass., at Westover Air Force Base. He recently returned from a 15-day assignment at the Marine Corps Air Ground Task Force Training Center in the Mohave Desert where he was awarded a Meritorious Mast for Outstanding Service conducted by Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel S.M. Hanni, USMC on June 15, 2002. O'Neil, who currently lives in Plymouth, is a 1997 graduate of Kennett High School. His future plans are to attend law school while he continues his service in the U.S. Marine Corps.