Bendall, LaMont receive Distinguished Service Awards
FOR RELEASE: Thursday, September 11, 2003
Huntington, Ind. " Two outstanding individuals were presented the Huntington College Foundation's Distinguished Service Awards at the organization's annual dinner last evening. Ted Bendall and Kay LaMont were presented the awards by Huntington College president Blair Dowden and Huntington College Foundation president Dennis McNeely.
At last evening's banquet, before an audience of 140 regional business leaders, Foundation president Dennis McNeely read the following citations in honor of Bendall and LaMont.
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Theodore L. Bendall
Huntington College Foundation
Distinguished Service Award
Today we honor Ted Bendall for his extraordinary service both to Huntington College and to Huntington County as a tireless volunteer and public servant. Ted has invested countless hours of service to improving economic opportunity in Huntington County and educational opportunity at Huntington College.
Ted Bendall graduated from Albion College in 1961 and earned the Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Michigan in 1964. His primary areas of practice include business law, estate planning, probate administration, and municipal and school law.
Ted has served as general counsel to seven municipalities. He served as the City of Huntington's attorney under two different mayors. In addition, Ted has long been a model of civic leadership, serving as president of the Huntington County Humane Society and as president of the Huntington County Chapter of the American Red Cross. He has also provided leadership to the Lime City Economic Development Corporation, Huntington County United Economic Development Corporation, the Huntington Optimist Club, and the Huntington County United Way. An Eagle Scout, Ted has served as a Scoutmaster and Explorer Post Advisor with the Boy Scouts of America.
Ted Bendall has provided legal counsel to Huntington College since 1968. In addition, he has devoted innumerable hours of volunteer service to Huntington College in a wide range of roles. He has been a member of the Huntington College Foundation since 1964 and has served as a board member of that organization since 1968. He chaired the Foundation's annual fund drive in six of those years. He has also served as the Foundation's president and as an ex officio member of the Huntington College Board of Trustees.
More recently, Ted served as a member of the Steering Committee for The Campaign for Huntington College. The recently concluded Campaign was the most successful fund-raising initiative in the College's 107-year history.
Whenever opportunities have arisen to do so, Ted has counseled with his clients and others about opportunities to include Huntington College in their estate plans. In doing so, Ted has ably demonstrated how potential donors can integrate benefits to the College with their own financial goals, such as tax savings or dependable annuity income. Ted has helped to draft and implement many such plans.
In 1996, in conjunction with Huntington College's one-hundredth anniversary, Ted Bendall was among 100 influential persons awarded the prestigious Huntington College Centennial Medallion. The distinction was reserved for those who had played a key role in the College's history, who had brought recognition to the College, and who had often worked behind the scenes with little public recognition.
The Huntington College Foundation Distinguished Service Award honors those whose life embodies the very principles associated with the mission of the College. Recipients are those who give substance and credence to our beliefs, who serve as effective role models for our students, and who are recognized for their outstanding contributions to the local community. Recipients' actions, as well as their words, bear persuasive witness to their commitment to the College and community. Their lives illustrate their commitment to the ideals of integrity, service, compassion, responsibility, faithfulness, discipline, and generosity.
Ted Bendall, on behalf of the Board of Directors of the Huntington College Foundation, and in recognition of your outstanding leadership and service to Huntington College and the local community, I present you with the Huntington College Foundation's Distinguished Service Award.
Awarded this eleventh day of September, 2003.
Dennis McNeely, President
Huntington College Foundation
G. Blair Dowden, President
Huntington College
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Mary K. LaMont
Huntington College Foundation
Distinguished Service Award
Today we honor Mary K. "Kay" LaMont for her outstanding service to Huntington College and its students. Few people have had a greater impact on the positive "town-gown" relationship between the College and the local community than Kay. Her respect and visibility in the community along with her love for the students and mission of Huntington College combine to make her one of our most effective ambassadors.
For over 30 years, Kay LaMont served on the Board of Directors of the Huntington College Foundation. In this role, she has been instrumental in raising funds for various initiatives of the Foundation, including scholarships and grants for Huntington County students.
Kay was the first woman to serve as a Huntington College trustee. She held this important leadership role for six years, contributing valuable insight to important decisions affecting the entire campus community. She also served as a member of the Huntington College Auxiliary, the Merillat Centre for the Arts Advisory Board, and the Prayer Ministry Team for the Campaign for Huntington College.
She has been a tireless volunteer for many community organizations, as well. Her exemplary service has been recognized by the Huntington Memorial Hospital Foundation, the Salvation Army Ladies Auxiliary, Pathfinder Services, and other local organizations. She has been a long-time member of Trinity United Methodist Church. Kay actively volunteered to serve the needs of disabled persons and she was instrumental in the campaign to develop Kids Kampus. In recognition of her many outstanding contributions to quality of life in Huntington County, in 1981 Kay LaMont was named Chief of the Flint Springs Tribe, the most prestigious honor bestowed by this community upon its leading citizens.
For decades, Kay has demonstrated a special love for the students of Huntington College. She has a tender heart for students with needs, especially international students. Her public acts of kindness have been but the tip of the iceberg; so much more has been done below the surface, behind the scenes, without fanfare or publicity. No one will ever know how many students have benefited from her hospitality, love, counsel and financial assistance.
The Huntington College Foundation Distinguished Service Award honors those whose life embodies the very principles associated with the mission of the College. Recipients are those who give substance and credence to our beliefs, who serve as effective role models for our students, and who are recognized for their outstanding contributions to the local community. Recipients' actions, as well as their words, bear persuasive witness to their commitment to the College and community. Their lives illustrate their commitment to the ideals of integrity, service, compassion, responsibility, faithfulness, discipline, and generosity.
Mary K. LaMont, on behalf of the Board of Directors of the Huntington College Foundation, and in recognition of your outstanding leadership and service to both Huntington College and our local community, I present you with the Huntington College Foundation's Distinguished Service Award.
Awarded this eleventh day of September, 2003.
Dennis McNeely, President
Huntington College Foundation
G. Blair Dowden, President
Huntington College
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