|
Bicentennial
Campaign reaches coast to coast
By Paula
Thomas
On the surface, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Athens, Ohio, have little
in common. But considering what’s riding on the success of
Ohio University’s Bicentennial Campaign, it’s easy to
realize the value of tapping the resources of such diverse locales.
 Alumni Association
board member Louis Overstreet, BSCE ’67, is one of those resources.
The Las Vegas Urban Chamber of Commerce’s executive director
hosted a campaign reception at Bally’s Las Vegas in April that
drew about 40 alumni, Ohio University President Robert Glidden and
Assistant Vice President for Development Glen Kerkian.
Overstreet’s counterparts have been hard at work in Los Angeles,
New York City, Boston, Dallas and Columbus, where volunteers have
organized several targeted events to spread the enthusiasm following
this past November’s public kickoff of the Bicentennial Campaign.
The campaign seeks to raise more than $200 million by 2004, when
the University will mark the 200th anniversary of its founding.
So far, gifts and commitments total more than $123 million.
“We were pleased from a couple of standpoints,” Overstreet
said of the Las Vegas gathering. “We had alumni representing
every decade from the 1940s through the 1990s. We’re also hoping
that it leads to the rejuvenation of an alumni chapter here.”
In a city as bustling as Las Vegas, residents sometimes tend to
hunker down in their own worlds, Overstreet said. Connecting with
others through their association with Ohio University was a welcome
change.
“People really appreciated the chance to get together,”
he said.
That same kind of camaraderie was evident recently in Columbus and
Cleveland, where a pair of April events helped raise campaign awareness
and encourage donor support. One was the Columbus campaign kickoff,
held at the Dublin home of Robert and Peggy Walter, both of whom
graduated in 1967. The second was a campaign event for the George
V. Voinovich Center for Leadership and Public Affairs at the Hudson
home of M. Lee, AB ’57, and John Ong.
Volunteers who serve on advancement committees for each of the University’s
colleges and units are contacting alumni and friends to raise campaign
awareness.
Jeph Martin, AB ’70, and his wife, Zoe Bahm Martin, BS ’70,
brought the campaign to northern California when they hosted a dinner
in Palo Alto. With so much to share about new initiatives and the
accomplishments of faculty and students, Glidden said he had his
hands full answering the many questions of alumni and friends.
“It is always exciting to meet graduates who are enthusiastic
about their alma mater,” Glidden said. “I can’t count
the number of times that I’ve been told, ‘Those were the
happiest years of my life!’ People express warm feelings about
Ohio University, some of them people who’ve not been on campus
for 20 or 30 years.”
In Los Angeles, Nancy Haag, AB ’78, opened her home one afternoon.
“I have fond memories of Ohio University and all of the wonderful
friendships I still cherish today,” she said. “Hosting
the event was one way I felt I could assist the University in its
campaign fund-raising efforts. I really enjoyed the day and sharing
the Ohio University spirit with my fellow alumni. It was well worth
the effort, and I encourage all my fellow alumni to get involved
in any way they can. I think they will enjoy it.”
Paula Thomas is Ohio University’s director of development
communications.
|
