Sinclair360

During the last academic year, more than 1,600 students received scholarship support from the Sinclair Foundation and its donors. In total, almost $3 million dollars assisted the college and its students with scholarships and academic programs. 

On Thursday, December 17, the Sinclair Foundation held its annual Donor Thank You reception in the Great Hall of the Sinclair Conference Center. The reception honors current donors for their support of the foundation and in turn the college. There were a few special guests at the reception, including:

• Dave & Doris Ponitz                  President Emeritus
• Ned & Joyce Siffirlin                 President Emeritus
• Bill Beagle                                Senator-Elect
• Judy Dodge                              Montgomery County Commissioner
• Bob Hackett                              Ohio Representative
• Peggy Lehner                            Ohio Representative
• Debbie Lieberman                     Montgomery County Commissioner
• Clayton Luckie                          Ohio Representative
• Carolyn Rice                             Montgomery County Treasurer
• Roland Winburn                         Ohio Representative

The event was made possible thanks a sponsorship by Horan. For over 60 years, Horan has developed plans to control health care costs, insure lives and protect wealth. The organization is new to the Dayton community, but not to Southwest Ohio.

“We are thrilled to begin working together, and look forward to supporting the college and its students now and in the future,” said Erik Freudenberg of Horon.

The event kicked off with the recognition of Aramark Coporation. Earlier this year, the organization made a multi-year pledge of $150,000 to Sinclair and was given a plaque on the Water Wall of Honor located in the Conference Center.

Part of the annual event is the presentation of the Alumni Awards and the President Awards. This year, President Steven Lee Johnson chose to honor Dawayne Kirkman for his continued leadership overseeing two of Sinclair’s Learning Centers in Huber Heights and Englewood. The second President’s Award went to honor outgoing Vice President of Advancement Tom Raga.

The David H. Ponitz Honorary Alumnus Award was created in 1991 to honor distinguished non-Sinclair graduates who have made notable contributions to the growth and success of the College.

This year’s honoree was Larrell Walters.Larrell held positions at Eastman Kodak, Goodyear Aerospace in Akron, Goodrich, Lytton Electronics, Gem City Engineering, and EMTEC before joining the University of Dayton Research Institute in 2003.

While at UDRI, Larrell developed the concept for the Institute for the Development and Commercialization of Advanced Sensor Technology (IDCAST), a collaborative research entity consisting of eight universities, over 30 companies, and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).

He has also served on the Sinclair’s AIM Center board since 1999 and has been an industry advisor to Sinclair’s Workforce Development Division for the past several years.

The Alumni Association Service Award was created as a way of honoring Sinclair graduates who have made notable contributions to the college, their profession, and the community. The 20^th Alumni Association Service Award honoree was the Honorable Tom Ariss.

Tom graduated with a degree in criminal justice from Sinclair, and attended The Ohio State University. He served both in the US Naval

 Reserve as an Airman and the US Army. In his first career, Tom retired with 30 years of service with the Ohio State Patrol.  Then in a second career of public service Tom was appointed and then regularly re-elected Warren County’s Sheriff over 17 years through 2008. Tom is now serving as Warren County’s newly elected Commissioner.

“Tom is a truly outstanding alumnus of our institution, and the Alumni Association is thrilled to be able to present this award to him,” said Raga.

Congratulations to all of the honorees and a special thank you to all of our donors who make college possible for so many of our students.