In addition to marking an historic moment in the life of UMass Lowell, the inauguration of Chancellor Marty Meehan is guaranteed to create one of the largest scholarship funds at the University. Sponsors have already committed more than $300,000 to the inauguration, most going to the Martin T. Meehan Educational Excellence Fund. That total is expected to continue to grow as the event draws closer.
The money is coming from alumni, friends and corporate sponsors who have pledged anywhere from $1,000 to $50,000. To date, the top individual donors are alumni Charles Hoff ’66 ($50,000), John Kennedy ’70 ($25,000) and L. Donald LaTorre ’59 ($25,000) as well as Honorary Committee Co-chair George Behrakis ($25,000). Raytheon, Aramark, the Lowell Sun and the New England Patriots have each committed $25,000 as well. [List of sponsors]
While most of the events leading up to the inauguration are free, two events the night before the official ceremony will raise money for several endowments, including the chancellor’s scholarship fund and music scholarships. Tickets for the Inaugural Benefit Concert at Durgin Hall, which begins at 6 p.m., are $100 per person, while tickets to the Inaugural Gala at Allen House are $1,000. Gala tickets also include admission to the concert. Students will be admitted to the concert for free. Tickets are available at the Dean of Students Office.
The Inaugural Benefit Concert, which will be preceded by a reception in O’Leary Library, will showcase the many talented student and faculty groups that are an integral part of the cultural life of the University. Doors to the reception open at 4:30 p.m.
“We wanted to include as much of a variety of performers as possible,” says Paula Telesco, chair of the Music Department and organizer of the event. “We rarely have the opportunity to feature our adjunct music faculty, who have incredible talent and impressive backgrounds. And our student groups will really elevate the emotion and excitement of the inauguration.”
The concert will feature faculty performers, conductors and student ensembles, including the University Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Concert Band and University Choir. In addition, there will be special guest performances by faculty duo-piano team Bonnie Anderson and Thomas Stumpf, and a faculty jazz quintet featuring Jon Wheatley on guitar, Walter Platt on trumpet, Ken Reid on saxophone, Mark Henry on bass and Jim Lattini on percussion, joined by student singer Dayna Brown.
Asst. Prof. Andre Dubus III, award-winning author of “House of Sand and Fog,” will also read from his work. Classical guitarist Rick Shilling will perform during the reception before the concert.
The musical pieces chosen for the performances range from the Wind Ensemble’s “Rising Dragons,” a tribute to a Korean naval hero, Yi Sun Shin, to the University Choir’s “Geographical Fugue” by Ernst Toch, which uses speech to produce music. Kay George Roberts says her selection of David Amran’s “En Memoria de Chano Pozo” for the University Orchestra is particularly relevant.
“Amran was a close friend of Jack Kerouac and is a passionate Lowellian at heart,” says Roberts of the tribute to Dizzy Gillespie’s Cuban percussionist. “Beyond the local connection, it’s a great piece to have students, faculty and alumni join in for the celebration.”
Following the concert, the action will move to Allen House at 7:30 p.m. for the Inaugural Benefit Gala, a special celebration that will raise funds for student scholarships. It is sponsored by Aramark. In addition to recognizing the week’s sponsors and donors, the event will feature the presentation of the University’s Circle of Distinction award to Alan Solomont ’77, a leading expert and provider of eldercare in New England.
As founder and CEO of the A.D.S Group, Solomont helped to build a broad and innovative network of post-acute, elder healthcare services. He has recently launched a new company, Solomont Bailis Ventures, to continue seeking innovative ways to care for elder citizens.
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