George Eastman Circle Newsletter

Update on College Reunion Challenges Issued by Charter Members 

Charter members Robert B. Goergen ’60, Gwen Greene ’65, Tom Sloan ’65, ’67 (MS), Larry Bloch ’75, and Nathan Moser ’75 celebrated their class reunion this year by issuing gift challenges to their classmates. Each challenge contained a component that focused on increasing George Eastman Circle membership. Below is the status of each challenge:

College Class of 1960: The 50th College Reunion Class has so far raised an all-class record $5,725,952. The Robert B. Goergen Challenge was at the heart of this extraordinary effort, and 16 new or upgraded memberships were booked as part of it.

College Class of 1965: The Greene-Sloan Challenge drew seven new Circle memberships and helped the class to raise a 45th reunion record $1,142,965 so far.

College Class of 1975: The Class of 1975 is still going strong and the Bloch-Moser Challenge has helped them raise $850,220 thus far. Also, 12 classmates have joined the Circle and four have upgraded their memberships to date.

Please remember: Reunion Challenges remain open for new gifts until December 31, 2010. Together, we can make history and have a lasting impact on the University. Our special thanks to those of you who joined us through your response to one of the challenges.

Member Profile: Mark Siewert 
Chair, Golisano Children's Hospital Board of Directors

A George Eastman Circle Charter Member and a long-time supporter of Golisano Children's Hospital, Mark Siewert has a special bond with the hospital and the doctors, nurses, and staff within it. Eight years ago, he and his wife, Marcia, spent eight months in the pediatric intensive care unit with their son, Mark Daniel. They were impressed by and grateful for the expertise and caring support they experienced from their son's first operation until after he passed away. Mark joined the hospital's Board of Directors and throughout his tenure has carried a strong belief in the hospital and passion for giving back. This past summer, he became chair of the hospital's board.

"Spending an extended period of time at the hospital was humbling—every day, lives are being saved. I can't perform surgery, but I can afford to support the miracles that happen at Golisano Children's Hospital."

"Every December, I was in the habit of writing my check to Golisano Children's Hospital. For me, annual giving is just the first thing you do when you care about something. When I joined the George Eastman Circle, I was pledging my support to help the hospital plan beyond the year's immediate needs. Giving through the Eastman Circle provides stability and enables more long-term progress — for the facilities, the equipment and other special needs for treating children, and for the expertise of the people working at the hospital now and into the future.

"While my devotion will always be to Golisano Children's Hospital, being a George Eastman Circle member has allowed me to meet people who are passionate about areas across the University that are doing wonderful things. It's a great experience, and an even greater way to give back to an area that I care about so deeply."

12 Eastman Circle Members Receive Honors 

This fall, twelve members of the Eastman Circle were honored by their schools for outstanding service, commitment, and leadership as alumni. The School of Nursing awards were given out at the Dean's Annual Diamond Circle Dinner in September. The Simon School of Business, the College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering, and the School of Medicine and Dentistry held their awards dinners over Meliora Weekend. Congratulations to Jay S. Benet, Nomi Bergman, Larry Bloch, Bob Goergen, Rick Hodes, Evans Lam, Lou Lange, Ruth Anderson Lawrence, Evelyn Lutz, John Major, Frederick Parker, and Bob Scala. Eastman Circle members truly are the University's leaders of today!

Arts, Sciences, and Engineering: Dean Rob Clark, Dean Joanna Olmsted, Larry Bloch '75 (James S. Armstrong Alumni Service Award), Lou Lange '70 (Distinguished Alumnus Award, School of Arts and Sciences), John Major '67 (Distinguished Alumnus Award, Hajim School), Nomi Bergman '85 (John N. Wilder Award), Bob Goergen '60 (Dean's Medal), and Dean Peter Lennie
School of Medicine and Dentistry: Dean Mark Taubman, Richard M. Hodes '82M (MD) (Humanitarian Award), Ruth Anderson Lawrence '49M (MD), '58M (Res) (Distinguished Alumnus Award), Brad Berk '81M (MD), '81M (PhD), Robert Scala '56M (MS), 56M (PhD) (Alumni Service Award), C. McCollister "Mac" Evarts '57M (MD), '64M (Res), and Frederick B. Parker '58, '62M (MD) (John N. Wilder Award)
Simon School of Business: Dean Mark Zupan, Evans Lam '83, '84S (MBA) (John N. Wilder Award), President Joel Seligman, and Jay S. Benet '76S (MBA) (Distinguished Alumnus Award)
School of Nursing: David Bandych, Rachel Brody Bandych (accepted the Dean's Medal on behalf of her family), Dean Kathy Parker, Bernard Brody '51M (MD), Shaina Epstein '09, and Sarah Brody Epstein and Evelyn Lutz '55N, '63 (John N. Wilder Award)

Trustee Involvement Fuels Eastman Circle Growth

Since the first days of the Charter Phase, involvement by the University’s Board of Trustees has been a key factor in the growth and high level of interest in the George Eastman Circle. Trustees — working in partnership with University leaders — were central to establishing the George Eastman Circle and among its first members. They set an example for others through their generosity and enthusiasm, and their leadership of the movement is now a part of University history. We are pleased to welcome three new University Trustees, all George Eastman Circle members, who have joined us recently:
 
Robert Keegan ’72S (MBA), retired chairman of the board of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, has long associations with the University community. He served in Goodyear’s top leadership ranks as president and chief operating officer as well as CEO and chairman. Before joining Goodyear, he was an executive vice president of Eastman Kodak Company and president of the Consumer Imaging business. Keegan received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Simon School of Business in 2007 and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by the University in 2010. He has been a valued advisor to the Simon School as well as an advocate for and supporter of student scholarships.
 
Laurence Kessler, a Rochester entrepreneur and owner of restaurant development companies, is the founder and co-owner of The Kessler Group Inc. & Kessler Family LLC. In the early years of his business career, he was a broker and vice president for investment firms in New York and Florida. Kessler and his brother, Dennis, who is the Edward J. and Agnes V. Ackley Executive Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Simon School, are longtime supporters of the University and have established the Kessler Burn & Trauma Center at the University of Rochester Medical Center.
 
Kathleen McMorran Murray ’74 is owner and founder of McMorran Strategists LLC, a consulting firm that specializes in driving business improvement initiatives. Murray has held leadership positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers as managing director of operations, Aetna Inc. as senior vice president of Aetna Retirement Services, and chief operating officer of Aetna Business Resources, among other roles. Among her many contributions to the University of Rochester, she has established the Kathleen McMorran Murray Endowed Scholarship Fund. Currently, she is a board member of Verity Wines LLC, a fellow of the Foreign Policy Association, and a board member of Harvard Business School Women’s NYC Association.

Save the Date Now for the 2011 George Eastman Circle Dinner in New York City

Announced during Meliora Weekend, our 2011 George Eastman Circle Dinner in New York City will be held on February 10 at The Pierre. The featured speaker will be New York Times editorial columnist David Brooks. He is currently a commentator on the "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” and has been a senior editor at The Weekly Standard as well as a contributing editor at Newsweek and The Atlantic. Brooks is also the author of two acclaimed books published by Simon & Schuster.

We look forward to seeing you in New York City for what has become a great George Eastman Circle tradition.