CAMPUS CURRENTS
For two seasons, Daniel Allan ’11 and Mark Kilpatrick ’11 played together on Barry University’s men’s soccer team.
By Rebecca Wakefield
TAKE A SEAT! There’s a lot of history in the seats of the Broad Auditorium at the Shephard and Ruth K. Broad Center for the Performing Arts. Now’s your chance to add your name to the legacy. Back in 1940, a young Jewish lawyer named Shepard Broad found himself on a train to Miami with a priest, which sounds like the setup to an off-color joke. In fact, that chance meeting between Broad and Monsignor William Barry turned into the beginning of a lifelong friendship. Barry charmed Broad into getting involved with the Catholic women’s college he had just founded in Miami Shores. The energetic Broad became a supporter and eventually the first lay chairman of the university’s Board of Trustees. Broad also founded Bay Harbor Islands and served as its mayor for 26 years. Broad and his wife, Ruth, were also big patrons of culture. In 1983, the Broads made a generous gift that allowed the university to renovate and enhance the magnificent 977-seat proscenium theater that had been built in 1955. The university renamed the theater the Shephard and Ruth K. Broad Center for the Performing Arts. It has an orchestra pit, sound and lighting, as well as audio and video recording equipment – all of which has served to enhance student and community performances over the years. “The Broad Center is one of the last grand-scale theaters in South Florida presenting both university and professional theater, opera, music and dance,” says John Manzelli, associate professor of theater. “These seats have watched hundreds of award-winning actors, singers and dancers.”
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But as with any older building that is well-used and loved, the Broad Center needs some updating. To that end, Barry has been working to refurbish all 977 seats in the theater. The fundraising began in 2014, raising more than $100,000 to date through a combination of grants, a $20,000 grant from The Villagers, a $50,000 grant from the state of Florida and approximately $30,000 received from over 80 faculty members, staff, alumni and friends. “Starting in the fall of 2014, we tagged every seat and sold some,” says Kristy Henry, Barry’s director for annual giving. “We’ve sold 112 seats so far, but more than 300 seats are still available.” Barry hopes to raise another $100,000 to complete the project. Refurbishment will include removal of seats, painting and refinishing frames, recovering with new upholstery and affixing new engraved nameplates. Interested in taking a seat and adding your name to a six-decade cultural legacy? Donate $300 and the university will contact you to select your seat.
To make your gift today, • Mail your donation in the enclosed annual giving envelope • Visit www.barry.edu/giving/donate, choose "Other" under Gift Details and type "Take a Seat" • Contact Kristy Henry at 305-899-3170 or khenry@barry.edu.
A few years after graduation, they reconnected at a Barry Presidential Reception hosted by Sister Linda Bevilacqua, OP, PhD, in New York City and decided to team up once again for Barry. “When I first met Daniel and Mark at the Barry Presidential Reception, they told me that they wanted to form a local alumni chapter,” recalled Matthew Blair ’04, associate vice president for alumni relations and annual giving. “Hearing such passion as they articulated their vision was music to my ears as I too had been strategizing on how to execute this very endeavor.” Kilpatrick estimates there are 1,500 Barry alumni in the New York metropolitan area. “New York is this massive hub — we felt it is somewhere Barry should have a presence,” Allan said. Today, Allan and Kilpatrick serve as co-presidents of Barry University’s New York City Alumni Chapter. Both men are blessed with fulfilling personal lives and careers, and volunteer their time and energy to the chapter because of their immense gratitude to Barry. Allan is married to Sharinna (Ortiz) Allan ’11, and Kilpatrick is engaged to Emily Trembley ’13. Each couple met when they were Barry students. Allan is the director of business development at M-III Partners LP, an investment and advisory firm, and Kilpatrick is the chief marketing officer and co-founder of Urban FT, a financial technology company that builds banking applications.
Barry, I was narrowly focused on soccer. But then I discovered that there was a great community at Barry.” Allan and Kilpatrick want the chapter to help alums maintain a lifelong connection to the university and the Barry community.
By Walter Villa
the New York City Alumni Chapter
CAMPUS CURRENTS
Barry Soccer Alums Help Launch
“They share my vision for the Alumni Association and truly understand the importance of having vibrant alumni networks,” said Blair. “I’m honored to be collaborating with these two stellar gents and am grateful for their leadership and vision.” In May 2016, the chapter launched with a cocktail party in midtown Manhattan and in July, hosted a reception followed by a performance of the hit Broadway comedy Fully Committed. Several events are planned for 2017, including Alumni Night with the NBA — networking while watching the New York Knicks take on the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden on March 14. In addition to hosting events, Allan and Kilpatrick see the chapter helping with recruiting local students, increasing alumni giving and eventually, funding a scholarship. “My athletic scholarship changed my life. I want to find a way to provide funding in a similar way for the local community and give people a chance that they otherwise might not get,” Allan said. “The possibilities are endless,” Kilpatrick said of the New York City Alumni Chapter. “There’s no reason why we can’t have sensational results.” For a comprehensive list of alumni events, visit barry.edu/alumni/events
Daniel Allan ’11 (left) and Mark Kilpatrick ’11 (right), co-presidents of Barry University’s New York City Alumni Chapter
Allan said he wasn’t exposed to much in his hometown in Swindon, England, and it wasn’t until he got to Barry that he saw what was possible. “I was ambitious but naive . . . I didn't know exactly what I was looking for, but when I came to Barry I knew I was in the right place,” said Allan. Barry introduced him to diverse cultures and ideas, and helped expand his thinking. His professors helped him form vital connections that were essential to launching his career. Similarly, Kilpatrick said there’s no doubt Barry made him a better person. “I came from a small town with little diversity,” Kilpatrick said of Stevenson, Washington, which has a population of less than 2,000. “When I came to
Photo: Allison Deutch Barry MAG | 11