Dr. Ron Area, CEO of the Marshall Foundation, shared some good news with the crowd in his opening remarks.
“There are 383 donors that have given $100,000 or more to Marshall University,” Area said. “And, during the last fiscal year, we have had 34 new donors at the $100,000 level, 22 of whom were new members of the President’s Circle and 12 who were upgraded to higher giving levels.”
Guy Spriggs, founder of Eagle Distributing Company and Chairman of the Board for Triple Crown Beverage, was the featured speaker at the celebration. He stressed the importance of, and the good feeling that comes with, sharing one’s wealth with others.
And, he said, “Marshall University has a special place in my heart.”
The crowd was entertained by two scholarship recipients. Dominique Sears, a junior music education major from Charleston, has the George W. and Annie B. Hughes Scholarship. A soprano, Sears performed three pieces and then spoke to the audience about the importance of her scholarship.
Because of her scholarship, she said, “I am so much in love with my school.”
She was accompanied by pianist Megan Bailey, who has received the Joseph and Stella Krimsky Scholarship. Bailey is a freshman double major in music education and music performance. She is from Culloden, West Virginia.
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Photo: From left, Cathy Brackbill, Mark Chandler, Lance West and Guy Spriggs talk before the donor recognition celebration Friday at the Brad D. Smith Foundation Hall .
Photo by Rick Haye/Marshall University