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Centennial Campaign Exceeds Goal with more than $32.3 million!
President’s Council Chair James Paugh III ’77 welcomed guests to the dinner in the Great Hall. Paugh and President Tom Plough presented the 54 new President’s Council members with a symbol of membership during the dinner. A total of 447 alumni, parents, and friends are now Council members. Student speaker Danielle St. Martin ’07 delivered an inspiring message and she graciously thanked the attendees for their support of the College. “Assumption has impacted me and largely shaped who I am as a person,” she said. “Thank you for your continued generosity, dedication, and support, which allows students like me to pursue our dreams and goals at Assumption College.” President Plough’s update included retrospective highlights of the Centennial Campaign, accompanied by a slideshow featuring the many faces and images of the Campaign. Following his talk, Campaign Chair David Grenon Hon. ’86 added heartfelt remarks about the involvement of so many members of the Assumption family in the Campaign. “The future of Assumption is very bright and this Campaign has provided the College with the resources needed to take it to the next level so that it will appear on the radar screens of prospective students throughout New England and the Northeast,” he said. Plough and Grenon then announced the record gift from Michele and Donald D’Amour, to provide an endowment for the Foundations in Western Civilization Program, which will be named for Fr. Ernest Fortin, A.A. ’46 and Fr. Denys Gonthier, A.A. ’44. The endowment fund will strengthen the Foundations in Western Civilization program at Assumption and will make it one of the flagship academic offerings at the College. The D’Amour gift put the Campaign over its $30 million goal prior to the dinner. Since that time a foundation gift, two planned gifts, and a bequest intention took the Campaign total to $32.3 million. The highlight of the evening came in dramatic fashion. As the Campaign leadership team stood together, trumpeters called attention to a pair of spotlighted banners flanking each side of the stage as they were unfurled and the fundraising total of $32,346,450 was triumphantly displayed. The crowd of 370 guests immediately jumped to their feet for a sustained and emphatic standing ovation. Following the Campaign announcement, Board of Trustees Chair Frederick Bayon, D.M.D. ’65 introduced a short tribute video honoring the career of the College’s leadership duo, Tom and Monty Plough. President Plough will retire at the end of the academic year. Several standing ovations ensued as Bayon presented President Plough with a citation from the Board of Trustees, commending Plough for his nine years of dedication and service as College President. As a surprise to Tom and Monty, Bayon announced that a gift from a regional foundation the day before the dinner established the Tom and Monty Plough Endowed Scholarship Fund at Assumption. Plough thanked Assumption for welcoming his family into its community and for its partnership in growing the College during his tenure. “Our Centennial Campaign theme was about leadership. Two couples who personify that quality are David and Rosalie Grenon and Donald and Michele D’Amour. Both couples provided leadership gifts in excess of In September, the College received a $500,000 grant from the Lynch Foundation of Boston to endow the Lynch Scholars Program. This program will provide a scholarship grant to assist four students (one in each class year) from inner-city Catholic high schools in the Boston Archdiocese. The Lynch Scholars will also be provided with leadership training opportunities during their years at Assumption. Carolyn and Peter Lynch received honorary degrees and were the speakers at Assumption’s 2003 Commencement. Also in September, the Campaign benefited from an additional major gift for an endowed scholarship from trustee Stephen O’Brien ’69 and his wife Cynthia. The cornerstone project of the Campaign was the $18 million Richard and Janet Testa Science Center, which opened in 2003. Other capital projects included a new Multi–Sport Stadium and renovations to the Chapel and other buildings on campus. Also, a total of 43 new endowed scholarship funds were established. This campaign more than doubles the amount raised in the prior campaign, which concluded in 1996. The current six-year fundraising effort will conclude on December 31, 2006.
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Worcester, MA (November 3, 2006) - Boosted by a $1.5 million gift—the largest in the College’s history—from Michele and Donald D’Amour ’64, a former trustee and the chairman and CEO of Big Y Foods, The Centennial Campaign pushed past its $30 million goal and announced a total of $32.3 million raised to date at the annual