Lehigh Leaders and Legacies

Spring is finally here! Help us celebrate the slowly warming temperatures by checking out the Alumni Association Facebook page to see our photographs from Philanthropy Day. Students from all over campus went to the U.C. lawn to sign a banner thanking alumni for their generous gifts to the University. Our future leaders expressed many thanks to our alumni. A handwritten message from Sarah ’14 reads: “Thank you for giving back to Lehigh. Because of your gift you have helped make my time here so incredibly meaningful.” To read other messages from students, please visit the Philanthropy Day photo album now available on the Alumni Association Facebook page.
March featured a successful Lehigh University Alumni Association (LUAA) Board of Directors meeting, where our president, Alice Gast, shared her inspirational vision on academic leadership and global outlook for Lehigh. This meeting included an update on the University’s Sesquicentennial celebration, which promises to be an exciting series of events to mark the first 150 years of Lehigh’s rich history and our bright future as well. The 2015 Lehigh-Lafayette game will kick off the Sesquicentennial, and the celebration will last through the 2015-16 academic year. Stay connected with Lehigh to learn more about the Sesquicentennial schedule as it develops.
I would like to take this opportunity to remember a friend, William Hittinger ’44, ‘73H. Bill was an inspiration to me and many others at Lehigh. We met while I was commanding the ROTC detachment and he was serving as Lehigh’s interim president. Almost every week we would get together to discuss military operations, leadership and Lehigh. Bill was a former Army officer commissioned through the ROTC program and he served our nation during World War II. We both completed military assignments in Hawaii, albeit a few years apart. We also shared a love of family. Our connection grew stronger after Bill’s grandson, Jonathan Hittinger ’98, enrolled at Lehigh, joined the ROTC program and was commissioned during my tenure. In recent years, I enjoyed chatting with Bill when he worked as volunteer in the Alumni Memorial Building, greeting and guiding visitors. In sum, Bill left a legacy of friends, family, leadership, accomplishment and philanthropy. His memory will live on with all of us.
In closing, I would like to encourage all alumni to stay connected to Lehigh as well as to each other. Alumni are an important part of this university, and I want to personally thank all of you for your impact over the years. The Lehigh alumni family is truly a unique and unparalleled community, and it is important that we continue to support our foundation for the future.
With Lehigh Pride,
Robert W. Wolfenden
Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations
March 2013