COVER STORY From left in front of DSC’s new student center are L. Gale Lemerand, Board of Trustees Chair Forough Hosseini, Mori Hosseini and DSC President Tom LoBasso.
L. Gale Lemerand Student Center to be a waypoint on pathway to student success Some four years ago, Mori Hosseini, a longtime supporter of Daytona State College, invited the then Speaker of the House, Mr. Will Weatherford, to visit Volusia County and included Daytona State’s more than 40-year-old student center on the tour. “When I showed him the building, which was literally crumbling on one side, we agreed that our students deserve better,” Mr. Hosseini said. The rest is history, as the Legislature began to appropriate what would total $32.6 million to provide DSC a new state-of-the-art student center. “Mori is consistently advocating for capital improvement and program support for Daytona State College, and we can’t thank him enough,” said President Tom LoBasso.
“He truly believes the college plays a vital role in the vibrancy of our community and lends us his political clout.” With the new student center under construction, the college last spring named the facility in honor of benefactor and former trustee L. Gale Lemerand, marking a formal recognition of Mr. Lemerand’s longtime support of the college and its students, including a most recent gift of $2 million to the Daytona State College Foundation. Together, the gifts total more than $3 million donated to DSC by the prolific entrepreneur over the years in support of student scholarships and campus growth initiatives, making Mr. Lemerand the college’s most generous living benefactor.
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“The entire college community is deeply proud and honored to name this facility for Mr. Lemerand, whose longtime support of Daytona State has opened new pathways to success for so many students and will continue to serve countless others for generations,” said President LoBasso. Mr. Lemerand is a true symbol of the American Dream. After coming from humble, working-class beginnings, his Gale Industries became the largest insulation contractor in America, serving as a springboard for more than 100 other successful companies he has founded. But there’s much more to Gale Lemerand than acute business acumen. He also is one of the state’s most prominent and well-known philanthropists, particularly in light of his support for higher education. He has given millions of dollars to neighboring Photo by Nicole Guthrie
