Neil Golub remembers looking down State Street in Schenectady in the early 1990s. What he saw was not pretty: blighted buildings, empty storefronts, few people.
"All you could do was shake your head,” said Golub, president and CEO of the Price Chopper supermarkets.
Today, thanks to a combination of private and public development, and the support of community leaders like Golub, the view of downtown includes a new hotel, a movie theater, restaurants and plenty of shoppers.
“There’s an energy that was lacking before,” said Golub, a member of the College’s Board of Trustees.
Golub stressed the importance of investing in Schenectady and the role of Union College as the Annual Business Campaign (ABC) kicked off its scholarship fund with a breakfast Tuesday honoring nearly 80 area business leaders.
The fund provides scholarships to students from Albany, Columbia, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schoharie and Schenectady counties. President Stephen C. Ainlay touched on the partnerships between the College and the community and expressed gratitude to those who make it possible for area students to attend Union.
Those at the breakfast included two members of the Class of 2012, Sean Hartnett, a graduate of Notre Dame Bishop Gibbons, and Eric Landry, of Scotia High School. They are the first recipients of new scholarships funded by the Schenectady Foundation.
Harnett was a mentor for English as a Second Language at Page Elementary School, while Landry spent four years mentoring physically and mentally challenged elementary students through the G.I.V.E. program (Governors Initiative Volunteering Excellence).
Established in 1963, the Schenectady Foundation serves the philanthropic needs of the Schenectady area. It has committed $100,000 over the next four years to the ABC fund to recognize two community leaders. Hartnett’s scholarship is named in memory of Richard E. Roberts ’50. Landry’s is named in honor of John S. Morris, the 16th president of Union College.
Chairman of the ABC campaign is Richard Fuerst '96, of Higgins, Roberts, Beyerl & Coan.