Bad News, Sad News, Good News & Giving Day
Because of coronavirus concerns, Cornell President Martha Pollack just announced Cornell will move to all-virtual instruction, prohibit gatherings of more than 100 people, discourage travel, and require students to complete all coursework at their permanent home residences after spring break. Learn more about this just-breaking news here.
Recently I attended the annual Cornell Alumni Leadership Conference (CALC) in Las Vegas. The weekend was filled with wonderful tributes to our beloved 9th president Frank H. T. Rhodes. Read more about the man, his work and his legacy here. The campus memorial service is April 25th.
Maybe spring is approaching (always a hard call in Ithaca) but Libe Slope is snow-free at least for now. This week the campus is celebrating with the Moog Festival in honor of Robert Moog ’65, an electronic music pioneer whose archives have just been opened at the Cornell Library. And the Black Excellence in Fashion show is on display in Martha van Renssalaer Hall and is a must-see for fashionistas. Both events are displays and one can visit them in person or online through our links. Sadly, online may be a “thing” for a while.
Giving Day is tomorrow and I would like to introduce you to classmate David Miller and his wife Anne Wenzel, recent winners of our Fred Bosch Award for their outstanding work on participation for our 45th Reunion, and share their Giving Day Message.
We are delighted to be involved with the Class of 1974, expanding outreach and inviting classmates to stay connected or re-connect. Anne is not a Cornellian herself but has enjoyed reunions with David since we started dating 30+ years ago. And we are proud to have watched both our children grow, flourish and graduate from Cornell (Emily Miller, Human Ecology ‘16 and Jeremy Miller, Engineering ‘19).
Cornell Giving Day—the annual one-day university-wide on-line fundraising extravaganza—is TOMORROW, March 12!
With the acceleration of all things internet, on-line giving invitations are ubiquitous and easy to ignore. But they are also just as easy to respond to with a quick donation.
Cornell Giving Day is really a highly democratic form of philanthropy, easy for all to engage and join. You can specify a Cornell program, department, team or club that is near and dear to your heart. Our family gives to the Class of ’74 Scholarship and the Big Red Marching Band, which created a valuable community of musicians for our children when they were at Cornell.
We encourage you to take just a minute on March 12th and make a donation on Cornell Giving Day. All donations of any size and for any purpose are appreciated! General support gifts and donations designated for our Class of ’74 Scholarship and/or our Christopher Reeve Scholar are also very welcome. (Please note these links will not go live until Giving Day). Thanks!
Anne Wenzel and David Miller
Vice Presidents, Annual Fund Participation
Please join Anne, David and me in participating in Giving Day!
Thank you and best wishes!
Shelley Cosgrove DeFord
President [Notable] Class of ‘74
