E-mail this pageSUNY Plattsburgh Alumni Make the Promise
Lewis Robinson Trust Helps North Country Students
He and his wife never had children of their own, but the late Lewis Robinson created a legacy more than 25 years ago that lives on today, helping students realize their dreams of attending college.
"Thanks to the Robinson family, many North Country students have had an opportunity to shine."
The long-time resident of Chazy, N.Y., was an entrepreneur, selling sugar and flour to small bakeries in the region. Because of a small act of kindness many years ago, current student Dan Kellar joins a long line of students from the Beekmantown (N.Y.) Central School District to become a Robinson Scholar, through a trust established to benefit students from that school district. It has so far awarded more than $80,000 to deserving students attending SUNY Plattsburgh.
James Keable, a Plattsburgh attorney, serves as administrator of the trust and developed a personal friendship with Robinson. Keable played pool with him every week and still jokes that even though Robinson couldn't see very well, he always beat him at pool.
"Lewis Robinson had no children of his own and wanted to make sure that children of the Beekmantown Central School District would have some type of scholarship support to go on to college," said Keable. "So in his will he provided the funds to establish a trust, and students from the area have benefited for more than 25 years."
"Thanks to the goodwill of the Robinson family, many North Country students over the years have had an opportunity to shine at SUNY Plattsburgh," said Anne Whitmore Hansen, vice president for institutional advancement. "Many generations of future students will also be helped thanks to their generosity and to Jim Keable, the careful steward of their gift."
Deidre "Dee" Carr '83 - A Surprise Birthday Gift Honors a Mentor, Provides Opportunities
The plan was to visit some friends and perhaps do some shopping.
What Deidre "Dee" Carr '83 didn't know that chilly December day was that the trip to Plattsburgh from Rensselear County was part of an elaborate plan orchestrated by her husband, Joe, to surprise her with a unique birthday present.
The couple met up with Gail Recore '84 and her husband, Jay. They brought the Carrs to Hawkins Hall to show off some new furniture Jay had installed in the building. But instead, Vice President for Institutional Advancement Anne Whitmore Hansen and Dr. Mohammed Gaber, chair of the accounting department at SUNY Plattsburgh, were there to greet them.
They explained that in recognition of Dee's determination to earn a degree and to honor her friend and mentor, former Professor Raymond Thoren, Joe had established a scholarship to benefit current students.
"If he hadn't helped me the way he did, I'm sure I wouldn't have graduated."
"I was completely surprised," Dee recounted. "Years ago I told Joe how Ray helped me finish my degree and how much my college experience meant to me."
As a senior in 1966, Dee had to withdraw because "the money ran out." She went to work, got married, settled down. It would be nearly 20 years before she finished the job she started. But then life threatened to derail her graduation a second time. As graduation approached, Dee learned she was pregnant. When her daughter, Cailen, was born two months premature, all of her plans went out the window.
However, her teachers rallied around her, and Professor Raymond Thoren extended a helping hand.
"Ray went out of his way to tutor me," Carr remembered. If he hadn't helped me the way he did, I'm sure I wouldn't have graduated."
Gina Pergolatto, the 2008-2009 Deidre Carr and Raymond Pergolatto said. "I am also lucky to have found an amazing support group in SBE, especially in the accounting department."
Heidi Clute '80 - Grateful Grad Establishes Fund to Help Disadvantaged Students
Lacking a clear idea for a career path and without the financial resources to pay for college on her own, a young Heidi Clute was looking for a school that would take a chance on her. SUNY Plattsburgh rolled the dice, and the result has paid off in spades for both Clute and the college that she loves.
"Many students just want you to take a chance on them"
"Most scholarships are based on merit, but what about students who may not appear to have what it takes to be admitted to college?" Clute asked. "What about students who may not seem to be college material? How many lives could have been transformed if students were just given a chance?"
Clute, a lifelong resident of Plattsburgh, received a grant from the Educational Opportunity Program, designed to help economically disadvantaged students. After graduation, Clute started work as an insurance broker.
As her business evolved, she decided she wanted something more. In 1984, she formed her own company and went back to college to become a Certified Financial Planner. Just four years after receiving her degree, Clute was the head of a company bearing her name.
With entrepreneurial flair, Clute slowly and methodically grew her business. Today, she manages $110 million in assets and offers securities through LPL Financial member FINRA/SIPC with clients as far away as California.
Grateful for the support that made her education possible, Clute recently established an endowed fund to help other women follow in her footsteps.
"Women have special challenges," she said. "They don't always have the best grades due to economic and personal circumstances but want an opportunity to better themselves. You know, not all 'A' students make the best entrepreneurs," she said with a wink.
"Heidi's life is an example for students who face tough odds; they too can achieve their dreams through hard work and perseverance," said Anne Hansen, vice president for institutional advancement at SUNY Plattsburgh. "Sometimes all they need is a helping hand and we are most grateful that Heidi is providing that helping hand, today and for the generations to come."
Rick Stiggins '68 - Fishing for Hope
In the book "The Compleat Angler," John Buchan writes, "The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope."
Rick Stiggins '68, an avid fly fisherman, spends many hours enjoying the expectancy of hope.
But in his professional life, as founder and director of the ETS Assessment Training Institute in Portland, Ore., Stiggins also helps teachers and their students explore their hopes and dreams by providing opportunities for learning success.
"SUNY Plattsburgh sets students up for success - I am happy to help carrying that tradition forward"
"Our main goal is the support of teachers," Stiggins said of his work at ATI, which was purchased by Educational Testing Service in 2006. "But more importantly, we reaffirm the importance of good quality teaching by modeling it in everything we do."
Stiggins recalls with fondness his first memorable experience with quality teaching in the classrooms at SUNY Plattsburgh.
"During my first year at the college I had an outstanding array of professors. To this day I am stunned at how good they were. They had a huge impact on me, providing my first experience with real academic success," he says. "I always refer to that time as the start of my academic life. I am forever indebted to SUNY Plattsburgh for that start; it permitted me to raise my horizons."
Coming full circle - and as it so happens, on the occasion of his 40th Reunion - Stiggins has once again made a generous unrestricted gift to the Plattsburgh Fund. His support provides additional financial aid for students and resources to enrich academic and student life programs.
Contact Information
For more information about SUNY Plattsburgh's Bright With Promise campaign, please contact:
Anne Whitmore Hansen
Executive Director, Plattsburgh College Foundation
Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Office: Hawkins Hall 109
Phone: (518) 564-2090
E-mail: anne.hansen@plattsburgh.edu