A Class Act
Join with classmates to establish an award or memorial fund
Now admit it: didn’t you enjoy your last class reunion? Maybe you didn’t lose that 10 pounds before the big event, but then chances are few of your classmates did either. Like you, they were simply looking forward to catching up with old friends and reflecting on careers and life passages.
Getting together at reunions, or staying in touch through a newsletter, this magazine, or through personal contact, is also rewarding because it gives many of us the feeling of belonging to something special. Even better, many alumni want to use that special energy to give something back to their school and the future of their profession.
One way to do this is for a class (or classes) to establish an award or fund to recognize or help a current or graduating student. Classes can get together to commemorate a classmate’s contribution, commitment or character, or can create an award or endowment to pay tribute to a particular specialty or simply to help a current or graduating student in financial need.
The desire to bring together their class to recognize a classmate, is what inspired Dr. Barney Giblon and the Class of 5T7 to create The 5T7 Memorial Dr. Janice Huffman Award in Radiology. It is designated for a graduating student who has excelled in and who will be specializing in radiology and who has an interest in equity issues. “Dr. Huffman was one of 16 women graduates in our class,” Dr. Giblon remembers. “She entered a specialty that few women went into at the time and we thought that a memorial award would be a wonderful way to remember a quiet woman who considered her class to be her family.
In fact, she was the first one to respond to the notice of our upcoming 2007 50th-anniversary reunion,” Dr. Giblon says. Dr. Huffman died in August, 2006, and the class is collecting donations for the award and formalizing conditions for the recipient. “There are numerous reasons for a class to create a student award,” continues Dr. Giblon. “It isn’t a difficult thing to do and the satisfaction of helping a student — and the enjoyment of working together with past classmates—is enormous.”