University of Minnesota Athletics
SCHOLARSHIP LUNCHEON HONORS
10/20/2001 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
To make sure that doesn't happen to the immeasurable contributions made by donors and student/athletes, Men's Intercollegiate Athletics held its first annual Endowed Scholarship and Donor Appreciation Luncheon October 17 at the McNamara Alumni Center/U of M Gateway.
Attended by more than 250 donors, student-athletes, coaches, University officials and alumni - including former Golden Gopher Outland Trophy winner and pro football Hall of Famer Bobby Bell - the event was not only a way of saying "thanks" to donors, but also of bringing them together with the student-athletes whose academic and athletic achievements are supported by donor contributions. In many cases, those gifts are the only thing that makes it possible for student-athletes to attend a university and strive for academic success.
"We are accountable to donors to show them how their gifts are being put to use," Mike Halloran, development director for Men's Athletics explained. "In addition we want to demonstrate all the good their gifts are doing. These scholarships are going to young men from around the country with needs, aspirations and major challenges. By attending the U and competing for the Golden Gophers, these student-athletes develop habits and abilities that will serve them for a lifetime."
In addition to speeches by Bell, and featured benefactor, Richard "Pinky" McNamara, as well as video clips of current scholarship recipients Jason Kennedy (baseball), and Michael Lehan (football), all 50 of this year's endowed scholarship recipients were introduced to the audience.
"There were essentially two purposes for this event," Halloran said. "The first was to connect donors to student/athletes. The other was to say thank you to donors. In that context, we held up Pinky McNamara as our featured donor, and in doing so we were saying thanks to all the donors to Men's Athletics, because it is only through their donations that our program can exist and these scholarships be made possible." Feedback about the event has been overwhelmingly positive, reports Halloran, who's already thinking of ways to expand next year's luncheon.
"People were really appreciative of the opportunity to be there," he says. "You could really see it in eyes of donors and in the eyes of the student/athletes. The fact that supporters of program got to meet and get to know the athletes whose scholarship made their academic career possible was special."
Maroon LEVEL ENDOWMENTS Bernie Bierman Scholarship Michael Lehan and Dan Nystrom - Football Delores Hill Scholarship Jimmy Henry and Asad Abdul-Khaliq - Football Lou Nanne Scholarship Jordan Leopold - Hockey Frank & Adeline Pond Scholarship Pat O'Leary and Erik Wendell - Hockey Murray Warmath Scholarship Jack Brewer and Preston Gruening - Football Bob McNamara & Len Shope Scholarship Thomas Haug - Tennis Dr. Richard Lindstrom, Avery Ticer - Tennis Tom Lowe & Pinky McNamara Scholarship Marv Wolfenson and Harsh Mankad - Tennis Harvey Ratner Scholarship Tom Nelson Scholarship Eric Robertson - Tennis GOLD LEVEL ENDOWMENTS Charles G. Cunningham Scholarship Dusty Rychart - Basketball Donald & Louise Gabbert Scholarship Darrell Reid - Football Verne Gagne Scholarship Leroy Vega - Wrestling Calvin Griffith Scholarship Jeremy Beaulieu - Baseball Paul Giel Scholarship Nate Broehm - Baseball Preston & Alice Higgins Scholarship John Pohl - Hockey Dick Kilty Scholarship Toby Henkels - Track and Field David A. LaVine Scholarship Kevin Burleson - Basketball John Mayasich Scholarship Adam Hauser - Hockey Metris Companies Inc. Scholarship Greg White - Football Gerald M. Mitchell Family Scholarship Michael Bauer - Basketball Paul Molitor Scholarship Scott Welch - Baseball "Butch" Nash Scholarship Dan Kwapinski - Football Jim Nielsen Scholarship Mitch Potter - Track and Field Lee & Louise Sundet Scholarship Ron Johnson - Football Clayton Tonnemaker Scholarship Derek Burns - Football Stanley G. Wadman Scholarship Matt Anderson - Golf David Weiner Scholarship C. J. Woodrow - Baseball BRONZE LEVEL ENDOWMENTS Les Bolstad Scholarship Ryan Paulson - Golf Paul Brown Scholarship Nathan Fix - Football Student Manager Billy Bye Scholarship Ben Utecht - Football Jack Chestnut Scholarship Kerwin Fleming - Basketball Ray Christensen Scholarship Michael Melrose - Swimming Donald M. Clark Scholarship Matt DeMarchi - Hockey Sheldon Douglas Scholarship Marion Barber III - Football Joseph Durda Family Scholarship Antoine Henderson - Football Harold & Jean Grossman Scholarship Astein Osei - Football Hartzell Scholarship Jeff Taffe - Hockey Moe Family Scholarship Phil Archer - Football Cal Stoll Scholarship Akeem Akinwale - Football Sandy Stephens Scholarship Dominique Sims - Football Janet and Ed Widseth Scholarship Peter Prudden - Football Dick Siebert Scholarship Jason Kennedy - Baseball Clark & Margaret Gibb Scholarship Travarus Bennett - Basketball Rudy Luther Scholarship David Morgan - Golf Wolfensen Scholarship Justin Conner - Gymnastics Frank Wolinski Scholarship Owen Elzen - Wrestling
