Brockport supporters lauded at 5th Annual President’s Donor Recognition Dinner
The College at Brockport celebrated philanthropy with some of its most generous supporters during the fifth annual President’s Donor Recognition Dinner April 29. The event’s theme, “Looking Back, Moving Forward,” was tied with the College’s 175th anniversary.
More than 180 supporters of the College—including alumni, faculty and staff, community members and Brockport Foundation board members—attended the event, making it the largest celebration since the event began in 2007.
The Seymour College Union Ballroom was transformed into old Hollywood, with 14-foot chandeliers lining the sides of the room and a massive 5-foot wide chandelier placed above the bar, where guests lined up for champagne. A large photo wall was displayed in the back of the ballroom, highlighting photos of the College throughout the decades. Guests took home a photo book that showed where the College has been and where it is going.
The evening was a celebration of philanthropy for the College, which inducted 20 donors into five lifetime giving societies, including the Marguerite Hare Browne Society, Robert E. O’Brien Society, Donald M. Tower Society, Ernest C. Hartwell Circle, Hiel Brockway Society and the Brockport Circle.
There were several highlights throughout the evening, including the induction of Chemistry Professor Emeritus J. Emory Morris into the Brockport Circle, which recognizes donors who have made or committed a gift of $1 million or more. President John R. Halstead led the guests in raising their champagne glasses to toast Dr. Morris, while Vice President for Advancement Roxanne Johnston and Brockport Foundation Chair Diane McCue ’77 presented Morris with a commemorative metal bowl designed and crafted by Art Professor Emeritus Thomas Markusen.
Other highlights of the evening were the announcement of the Volunteer Service Award. The recipient of this award is kept a secret until the dinner. The recipient has a $1,000 scholarship given in his or her name to a student who exemplifies that same volunteerism as he or she. This year’s Volunteer of the Year was William C. Rock, and the scholarship winner was Emily Marullo ’11. Rock is a distinguished service professor emeritus of the department of educational administration and a Brockport Foundation board member.
Kim Ehret, assistant director of donor relations and stewardship, oversaw all aspects of this event, making it one of the College’s most successful donor dinners to date. The College’s Brockport Auxiliary Service Corporation (BASC) catered the event. Special contributors included Cold Stone Creamery and Dr. Konstantin Frank.Brockport Foundation
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Learn about some of the scholarships and awards that have been made possible through the generosity of alumni and friends like you.
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