BROWN & WHITE DINNER
Reunion 2018 got off to a marvelous start with the recognition of one of our BALANCE members at the Brown & White Dinner in the Wood Dining Room of the Iacocca Building. Emeritus trustee Ralph Thomas received the Dr. Costel Denson ’56 Award. This award is presented annually to an alumnus or alumna who has demonstrated leadership by identifying and implementing pathways to increase diversity in the American workplace and in our educational institutions.
Congratulations, Ralph!
BALANCE RECEPTION
The M Room – or OEA Room for those of 70’s vintage – elicits fond memories for many of us. Over the course of the reception perhaps two dozen of us mingled with each other sharing war stories as well as our vision for our beloved alma mater. We also had the opportunity to visit with alums from the Pride Center who had concurrent receptions in adjacent room. It was a great opportunity to build the community so important to achieving our collective objectives.
UNITY DINNER
By all accounts, the first-ever Unity Dinner was a smashing success. The tone for the evening was set by Peter Morales ’82 who hosted our cocktail hour with a selection of some of the exquisite wines from his collection. Community building continued in a relaxed setting with ample hors d’oeuvres and a delightful meal.
The forty of us in attendance recognized professor Kashi Johnson ‘93 and Dr. Henry Odi ‘98G for the distinguished awards they received at the Lehigh Faculty & Staff awards dinner earlier in the year.
Professor Kashi is the 2018 recipient of the Deming Lewis and Christian and Mary Lindback awards. The Deming Lewis Award is presented by the 10-year reunion class (2008) to the professor who has most significantly influenced their members’ educational experience. The Christian and Mary Lindback Award is given to a member of the teaching staff for their distinguished teaching performed during the academic year. Dr. Odi is the 2018 recipient of the Paul Franz Award. This award recognizes a university professional staff administrator who has combined excellence of performance with service of dedication and devotion to Lehigh University.
The evening ended with a stunning tribute to the late Cos Denson ’56 — the first black graduate of Lehigh — who passed away April 23, 2018.
This is the start of a tradition that we know you will not want to miss next year — Save the Date: June 6-9, 2019!