Posted on Aug 10, 2004

Giving is Golden for Class of 1953


This Group of Grads heeds the (Conference) Call to Give

“The Gentlemen of '53” are so close a class, reports Elwyn Harp, that when one contributes to the Annual Fund, all do. “Let me brag a little,” says Harp, chair of the class' 50th ReUnion Committee. “The last two years we obtained 100 percent participation in the Annual Fund. That's remarkable.”

To celebrate the half-century since graduation, the 205 members of the Class of 1953 have endowed the large conference room in Abbe Hall. “We wanted to do something special for our 50th,” Harp said, noting the class had contributed $471,584 through annual, capital, planned gifts and five-year pledges.

“I've got a great committee working with me, 23 members. Rhein Vogel is class president; John Moses, our class giving chair. The more people you have working together, the more successful you'll be.”

Harp and his classmates attended Union during the Truman-Eisenhower years, the Cold War and the end of the Korean War. He says the campus has burgeoned since he first traversed its courtyards and corridors, “grown not only in opportunities but also in terms of numbers” – with enrollment nearly doubling to more than 2,000.

Gentlemen and gentlewomen, that is.

Class of 1973 Keeps on Truckin'

Library Gift Speaks Volumes about Class Participation

In the hang-loose '70s, members of the Class of 1973 graduated in shirtsleeves, donating their cap-and-gown costs to Schaffer Library in memory of classmates Edward Corbett and Kelvin Cook. They broke existing class gift records, with 74 students donating a total of $2,045.

Led by George Bain (B.A., American Studies, Concordiensis editor-in-chief), the '73ers were at it again. They recently raised $137,925 for a 30th ReUnion gift to name the library in Abbe Hall, home of Alumni Relations and the Office of College Relations.

Bain is an editor at the Syracuse Post-Standard, so a library tie-in was a natural. And in a a musical nod to the '70s, his 14-member class gift committee proposed that donation levels be keyed to top songs of the era: the Grateful Dead's “Truckin',” Neil Young's “Heart of Gold,” Santana's “Black Magic Woman” and Elton John's “Crocodile Rock.”

The oldies inspiration may have struck just the right chord – the class beat its $125,000 goal, with gifts from 87 class members in addition to Annual Fund pledges and a $25,000 challenge gift from Frank Messa, which provided added incentive.

The Abbe Hall library is now open. No popping of champagne corks around the valuable collection of face books and yearbooks, thank you.

They've Got Class – 1978


Grads Pose Challenge

Marking the 25 years since graduation, Dave Breazzano and Jim Lerner extended a challenge to the Class of 1978, offering to match each gift from every class member, dollar for dollar. Eventually, however, they proved even more generous than that.

This dynamic donor duo pushed the Class of 1978 past its $49,300 goal – to an impressive $105,251, with 38 donors making first-time contributions.

The biggest challenge, however, may be matching the enthusiasm of '78ers for their silver-anniversary celebration. “I was very excited about our 25th ReUnion and wanted to do something that would make an impact,” said Lerner.

Added Breazzano: “We're happy that our challenge helped encourage more of our classmates to get involved with giving back to the College that shaped each of us in so many important ways.”