Foundation celebrates 60 years and $1 million gift to the Shepherd College of Business

by Kristi Veach-Ross

Photo credit: Sam Levitan Photography

The Shepherd University Foundation celebrated its 60th anniversary with a special night of generosity and memories. As more than 100 alumni, faculty, staff, and community members gathered to celebrate over a half century of the Foundation’s service to Shepherd, former Foundation President Mike Smith ’89 elevated the festivities with the announcement of a $1 million gift.

Smith’s extraordinary donation will support the College of Business. In 2016, Mike, along with former Foundation President Ray Alvarez ’62, was instrumental in creating the Business 2020 fundraising campaign to revitalize the University’s business program. Mike’s latest contribution will help to continue the success of that program.

The celebration also honored the retirement of Foundation Executive Vice President Monica Lingenfelter, who retired on September 30.

Monica has led many of the Foundation’s triumphs. She has dedicated countless hours to ensuring that the Foundation provides consistent and reliable support for the University, and her compassion and dedication has been apparent in her work. Mike acknowledged the impact of Monica’s direction and determination throughout her time with the Foundation as he dedicated his gift to her career milestone.

“This level of success was achieved by many individuals— including many of you here—working together to further the mission of the Foundation,” Ray said at the celebration. “However, at the forefront of this effort has been our retiring vice president.”

Mike reflected on the Foundation’s momentous strides over the decades and asked guests to consider how far the Foundation has come since its creation.

The evening’s speakers represented decades of the Foundation’s history. In addition to remarks by Mike, Ray, and current Foundation President Chris Colbert ’95, the program featured remarks by Shepherd President Mary J.C. Hendrix ’74 and Dr. Carol Ann Durand ’64.

President Hendrix’s family legacy of University support has been consistent; her mother was a founding member of the Foundation and served as a board officer for years.

Carol Ann also has a family history with the Foundation. Her father, William “Pappy” Thacher, served as the first Foundation president and her mother, Ruth Thacher, was a board officer. “I can recall how thrilling it was when the first million was reached,” said Carol Ann. “Those folks then would certainly be in awe of the gains the Foundation has made while Monica was executive vice president.”

Bonus Content

To view photos of this event and other Foundation activities, visit ShepherdUniversityFoundation.org/galleries/