BECUM spring 2017 recap

Dr. Dana Humphrey & Chris Gordon

In spring 2017, the Boston Executive Club of the University of Maine celebrated 10 years of bringing University of Maine alumni together to network in a professional setting, highlighting UMaine’s signature academic and research programs, and engaging volunteer support for the College of our Hearts Always.

Chris Gordon ’85 and Dean Dana Humphrey presented “Future Skylines.”  Chris shared his role, as President of Wynn Design and Development Massachusetts, in the construction of the $2.1B Wynn Boston Harbor resort casino on the Mystic River in Everett. Dean Dana Humphrey addressed the growing demand for UMaine engineers by industry and need for a new academic Engineering Education and Design Center building on campus to accommodate the 2,000 engineering students now enrolled at UMaine, and continued growth.

Over 80 alumni and friends from the greater Boston area attended the event.  Guests were greeted by friendly faces and lovely weather at the UMaine Club at the UMass Club in Boston at its new location at One Beacon Street. UMaine Foundation President Jeff Mills ’82 and John Diamond ’77, ’89G, President, UMaine Alumni Association both spoke about current events at the University of Maine.

As a special part of the 10-year anniversary celebration, attendees also enjoyed a slideshow of previous BECUM photos.

 

View Dr. Dana’s presentation here.

If you are interested in attending a future BECUM event, please contact the University of Maine Foundation, or keep an eye on our BECUM webpage.

 

 

 

 

Foundation annual meeting and luncheon

Over 240 guests were greeted by student ambassadors at the 2016 Foundation Annual Meeting and Luncheon, which was held in Wells Conference Center on October 14. Representatives from the Sophomore Eagles, Sophomore Owls and Senior Skulls volunteered to be part of the event. University of Maine President Susan J. Hunter welcomed the crowd and shared several examples of how private support enhances experiences for UMaine students. Kimberly Dao ’14 thanked the Foundation for the support she has received, which has enabled her to attend medical school. A record number attended the annual morning meeting, where Cambridge Associates, represented by Kerri Washington, delivered information about the Foundation’s endowment.

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Professor Dick Hill remembered UMaine

Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering Richard C. Hill, who passed away in July, left an indelible mark on the University of Maine. His work as a Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Dean of the College of Technology and Director of the Department of Industrial Cooperation spanned from 1946 until his retirement in 1992. Even after his retirement, he remained one of UMaine’s most highly recognized and respected emeriti faculty experts because of his extensive knowledge and a communication style that made even the most complex subjects understandable. His writings and speaking engagements around the country brought great recognition and honor to UMaine.

“Many times donors do not realize the broad array of charitable giving mechanisms which can be implemented to achieve their goals. We were very happy to help Dick and Libby with their objectives.”

— Jeff Mills, President/CEO

Professor Hill’s contributions to UMaine are legendary. Beloved by his students, admired by his colleagues and respected by Maine people everywhere, Dick was the first faculty member to receive the Stillwater Presidential Award. His legacy not only includes his body of work in the field of energy, but also endowments that will support programs in perpetuity that Dick and his wife, Elizabeth (“Libby”), cared about across campus. The Collins Center for the Arts, the College of Engineering, the Honors College, the Division of Music of the University of Maine’s School of Performing Arts, the Department of Industrial Cooperation and the Professor Michael H. Lewis Art Scholarship all benefit from Dick’s and Elizabeth’s generosity.

Dick recognized a good idea when he saw one. Back in 1989, he and Libby were wondering what to do with a mutual fund account and looking for a way to help their grandchildren with their college educations. Their attorney suggested that they consider a charitable trust. Dick and Libby placed the account in a charitable remainder trust with a 20-year term and were able to take an immediate income tax charitable deduction.

During those 20 years, the trust income helped their grandchildren pay for their college educations. They attended schools all over the country to study to be a physician’s assistant, a medical doctor, a physical therapist, a teacher, an economist and an engineer. They are incredibly grateful to their grandparents for investing in their futures.

In 2009, at the end of the trust term, the trust’s remainder came to the University of Maine Foundation to be endowed to help the programs Dick and Libby cared about. As a former dean, Dick knew how vital unrestricted support could be to those programs.

Not only can they help grandchildren, but charitable remainder trusts can also provide security, minimize taxes, preserve assets, and ultimately fulfill philanthropic goals. The Foundation would be happy to explore with you and your advisors the possible benefits of including a charitable trust in your financial and estate plans. We welcome the opportunity to be of help.

Foundation Announces Death of Board Treasurer, Former Board Chair

darryl brownlr

Sadly we announce the passing of our Board Treasurer, the Honorable Darryl N. Brown ’66, ’69G.

“Darryl was an outstanding leader who understood the importance of philanthropy to the University of Maine’s future,” said Foundation President Jeffery Mills. “He was a vocal advocate for UMaine and its value to our state and residents. Darryl was a dedicated and effective board leader, one widely admired throughout the state. We extend our deepest sympathies to Penny and to all of Darryl’s family and friends.”

Darryl served the Foundation and the University in many capacities over the years, and was the only board chair to serve three times; 1998-1999, 2008-2009 and 2012-2013. He was the Foundation Board’s treasurer at the time of his passing, and had previously served as its secretary.

Gifts in Darryl’s memory may be made to the Darryl and Penny Brown Scholarship held at the University of Maine Foundation.

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Full obituary

Skoufis Nephews Deliver Additional Gift

Skoufis check presentation

Danny Williams, Jeff Mills, George Predaris, John Rozos

On the road again. Recently cousins George Predaris of Rye, NH, and John Rozos of Poland Spring, ME made a special delivery of a check for $271,671.80 to the University of Maine Foundation. Foundation President Jeff Mills and Collins Center for the Arts Director Danny Williams were on hand at Buchanan Alumni House to graciously accept the funds. Last summer, Predaris and Rozos handed University of Maine President Susan Hunter and University of Maine Foundation President Jeff Mills a check for $300,000. Both checks were a result of their work to settle their Aunt Helen Skoufis’ estate to benefit the Helen M. and Peter J. Skoufis Scholarship, established in 1996 at the Foundation by the Skoufises. Distributions from the endowed fund will provide endless scholarship assistance for UMaine undergraduate students who are graduates of Bangor High School and John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor.

Helen Skoufis and her husband Peter, a member of the UMaine Class of 1941, were longtime supporters of the University of Maine.

“We are very grateful to Helen and Peter for their forethought in planning this generous gift,” Jeff Mills said, “ and to their nephews who so thoughtfully carried out the task of seeing it through.”

Although his work in the U.S.Foreign Service took him around the globe interacting with world leaders, Peter Skoufis never forgot his roots in his hometown, Bangor, Maine, or his alma mater, the University of Maine, where he earned a bachelor of arts in History and Political Science in 1941. Peter Skoufis passed away in 2005, and Helen in 2014.

The University of Maine Foundation Celebrates 82 Years!

Birthday Cake

Eighty-two years ago some very forward thinking people created the University of Maine Foundation with a check for $1,000 from the Class of 1909. In this short 82 years, the Foundation endowment now exceeds $186M with the total UMaine endowment at $287M. Those totals do not include the millions of dollars provided annually as a result of those investments. June 9, 1934 was truly a transformational day for the University of Maine!