Remembering Studio Arts

 Judy P. Bernhang, a 1956 graduate of the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA), and her husband, Dr. Arthur M. Bernhang, of Huntington, New York, plan to make a bequest of $1.5 million to the University through Judy Bernhang’s will to fund a chair or professorship in VPA’s studio arts program. “It is our way of thanking Syracuse University for encouraging a life of interest and joy in the arts,” says Judy Bernhang, who is a painter. Arthur Bernhang is an orthopedic surgeon and a sculptor.

“The extreme generosity of this gift will enable the College of Visual and Performing Arts to continue to attract the best new faculty to help future generations of Syracuse students realize their academic and artistic goals,” says Carole Brzozowski ’81, dean of VPA. “Arthur and Judy Bernhang’s commitment is an inspiration to those of us who understand the vital importance of the arts to the campus, the community, and, of course, society as a whole.”

The choice of providing for the University through a bequest, a living trust, or a life-income gift is a growing trend among Syracuse alumni and friends, according to Andrea Latchem, executive director of development for gift and estate planning. “We’re delighted when someone lets us know that the University is a part of their financial and estate plans. It gives us added security as we plan for the future. Mostly, though, we love to be able to say ‘thank you’ and let people know how much their support means for future generations of students.”

—David Marc

Trustees Bring Talent, Drive, Vision to Board

University boards of trustees tend to fall into one of two categories. There are the ceremonial conclaves that get together every year or so to rubber-stamp whatever paperwork has been sent to them. Then there is the kind that Joseph O. Lampe ’53, G’55 chairs for SU. Since joining the board in 1986, he has fought to make sure that the talent, drive, and creative vision of the trustees reach full potential as assets of the University. Under Lampe’s leadership, reforms, including term limits, attendance requirements, and rotating committee assignments, have been instituted.

Four members elected to the Board of Trustees in 2001 have the overachievers’ credentials that membership requires—and then some. Since all of them are the kind of people almost anyone would like to meet, we thought we would take the opportunity to introduce them as they complete their first year on the job:

• MICHAEL M. BILL, a 1958 graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences, is the chairman of the board at M-J Insurance Inc., which specializes in meeting the special needs of insuring the construction industry. The Indiana resident founded M-J just six years after graduation and built it into one of the top privately held insurance firms in the country.

A three-time letter winner in football (1955-57), he has been generous to his old team, providing an endowed scholarship in his name, the first by an SU football alumnus. “The football program gave me so much toward my life’s success,” he says. “It feels great to be able to give something back.”

• JOHN E. BREYER of Georgia is president and CEO of MI Technologies, a leading corporation in microwave research and instrumentation. In 1961, after receiving a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois, he came to Central New York to work for General Electric, and made the area his home for almost 30 years.

Breyer’s involvement with SU began when his daughter, Deborah Breyer Knoblock ’88, G’90, became a student. He is a member of the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science Advisory Board.

• RICHARD L. HAYDON, a 1966 graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences, is a financial analyst and securities expert who has already become a welcome addition to the board’s Investment and Endowment Committee. Currently a partner at Omega Advisors Inc., the New Jersey resident has been with some of Wall Street’s most prestigious houses, including Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Gabelli & Co., where he was president.

His wide-ranging service to SU has included work with the Commitment to Learning campaign, the School of Management Corporate Advisory Council, the Metropolitan Advisory Committee, the Society of Fellows, and the Athletic Committee. His son Leigh is an SU senior this fall.

• RICHARD L. THOMPSON, a 1967 graduate of the Maxwell School, is vice president of governmental affairs at Bristol-Meyers Squibb Company and resides in Virginia. He holds a B.A. cum laude in history and political science from SUNY Albany, an M.A. in political science from Maxwell, and a law degree from Catholic University. A decorated Army officer who served in Vietnam for two years, Thompson was a senior staff director in the U.S. House of Representatives before joining Bristol-Meyers Squibb.

A long list of civic interests includes the Ford’s Theater Foundation, for which he has served as a board member and treasurer. His SU activities have included memberships on the Washington, D.C., Advisory Board, the School of Management Corporate Advisory Council, and the Maxwell School Advisory Board.

"The Board of Trustees is enriched by the addition of these members,” says Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw. “Each brings a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective on the business of the University. I always look forward to working with them.”

—David Marc