A sellout crowd of 300 came to the Convocation Center for Cal U's first Bow Ties & Pearls Ball.
To our faculty, staff, and alumni:
On Saturday evening, a sellout crowd of 300 came to the Convocation Center for our first Bow Ties & Pearls Ball. It was my pleasure to welcome a quartet of former student-athletes to our Athletic Hall of Fame, and to honor distinguished graduate Bill Booker ’74 with the Lillian M. Bassi Core Values Award.
I want to publicly thank the many staff members who helped to make this such a successful fundraiser. And I am deeply grateful to the generous sponsors, donors and guests whose contributions totaled more than $100,000.
It was wonderful to see so many friends of Cal U gathered in support of student scholarships and alumni recognition projects on campus. I shared with those generous friends my vision for a new donor-funded project to enhance our campus: Champions Way.
Located in the courtyard between Hamer Hall and the Convocation Center, Champions Way will allow current and future students to learn about our University’s past and see themselves as part of Cal U’s winning tradition. It will bring together, in one space, artworks honoring our national championship teams and information about members of our Athletic Hall of Fame. I envision Champions Way as an enduring point of pride not just for our Athletics Department, but for our entire Cal U community.
The concept for Champions Way is still taking shape, spearheaded by our Bow Ties & Pearls Club – a group that has invested, quite literally, in the future of Cal U. Also under discussion is a complementary project that will honor other distinguished graduates. As plans move forward, I’ll keep you informed.
In the meantime, you may visit calu.edu/bowtiesball to see the videos honoring our 2019 Athletic Hall of Fame inductees, Helena Van Eysendeyk, Nate Forse, Kristin Heslop and Dr. Les Bakos.
And please mark May 2 on your 2020 calendar. You won’t want to miss our second annual Bow Ties & Pearls Ball!
Best wishes,
Geraldine M. Jones
University President