Fairfield Awards Dinner honors alumni, parents, and friends of Fairfield University | Press Releases

And highlights two million dollar fundraising effort for University scholarships

Fairfield University's 26th Annual Fairfield Awards Dinner, "Celebrating a Tradition of Opportunity," was held on Wednesday, April 10, 2013, at the Grand Hyatt New York in New York City. The dinner honors alumni, parents and friends of Fairfield University and is the highlight of a University effort to raise additional need-based financial aid funds to support students from all socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. The 2013 Fairfield Awards Dinner celebrated over $2 million dollars contributed in new funds in support of this scholarship effort and will benefit students from various racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds from around the country and the world.

Last night's Awards Dinner featured as keynote speaker Cynthia R. Bigelow, President & CEO, Bigelow Tea. The Fairfield Awards Dinner also recognized alumni, faculty, and staff for the highest levels of professional achievement, outstanding leadership, academic excellence, and meritorious service. The 2013 dinner honored the following: Alumni Professional Achievement Award, Carlos M. Cardoso '81, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Kennametal Inc.; Alumni Service Award, Robert L. Berchem '62, P'92, Principal and President, Berchem, Moses & Devlin, P.C.; Honorary Alumna, Nancy Lynch , P'95; Distinguished Faculty/Administrator Award, Eugene Doris , Director of Athletics, Fairfield University; and The Fairfield Award, James P. and Linda C. Slattery , P'92, and the Slattery Family . Awards Dinner Co-Chairs are Bill and Peggy Atwell , P'08, Frank '89 and Susan Carroll , and Gavin and Marybeth O'Connor '88.

The Fairfield University Awards Dinner began in 1960, when the Alumni Association began recognizing alumni and staff for their professional achievements and service to the institution. The University's Multicultural Scholarship Fund has been the primary beneficiary of the Awards Dinner, held annually since 1988. Overall, more than $15 million dollars has been raised for financial aid by this event. For additional information, contact the Fairfield University Office of Corporate Relations, (203) 254-4000, ext. 2927, or visit www.fairfield.edu/awardsdinner .

The 2013 Honorees and Keynote Speaker

Alumni Professional Achievement Award
Carlos M. Cardoso '81

Carlos M. Cardoso '81 is president and CEO of Kennametal Inc., a leading industrial technology company that develops highly engineered tooling, advanced materials, and expertise to diverse sectors in industrial production, transportation, energy, and infrastructure. Mr. Cardoso led the company through the most challenging economic times of its 75-year history and was named one of America's "Best Chief Executive Officers" by Institutional Investor . Kennametal has grown to nearly $3 billion in sales with 13,000 employees serving customers in 60 nations worldwide. Kennametal has earned consistent recognition under Mr. Cardoso's leadership, named as one of "America's Safest Companies" by EHS Today magazine, and among the "World's Most Ethical Companies" by the Ethisphere Institute. He was born in Angola, Africa, is of Portuguese heritage, and emigrated to the United States at the age of 17 to attend college. In 2012, he founded Kennametal's Young Engineers Program, offering advanced manufacturing curriculum and career paths for high school students. He also spearheads the Kennametal Foundation, which provides grants focused on post-secondary educational opportunities and community development where the company operates. Mr. Cardoso is a member of the University's Charles F. Dolan School of Business Advisory Council. He earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from Fairfield in 1981, a master's degree in management from the Hartford Graduate Center, and an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Penn. He has two grown sons, and resides in Pittsburgh with wife Christina.

Alumni Service Award
Robert L. Berchem '62, P'92

Image: Bob Bercham Bob Berchem, Principal and President, Berchem, Moses & Devlin, P.C.,graduated with a degree in politics from Fairfield in 1962, when he was only 20 years old. He was the first in his family to earn a college degree and entered Fairfield on a full academic scholarship after completing his high school studies at Fairfield Prep in just three years. He was awarded a full scholarship to Villanova University School of Law, where he received his J.D. in 1965, finishing first in his class. That same year, at age 23, he was admitted to the Connecticut bar and became law clerk to a federal judge, the Honorable William H. Timbers. He then received a William W. Cook Fellowship to the University of Michigan's Law School, where he received his Master of Laws degree in 1967.

Afterward, he returned to his hometown of Milford, Conn., to establish Berchem, Moses & Devlin, P.C., where he is both a principal and president. The firm is one of Connecticut's most prominent, with 35 lawyers. From 1990 to 1996, he served as a Fairfield University trustee, and has represented the University pro bono in various special matters. He secured a permanent home course for the University's golf teams at the Race Brook Country Club in Orange, Conn. Recently, he also facilitated arrangements for the University's continued use of the Webster Bank Arena for varsity competition. He has been a member of The President's Circle since 1981, and was chairman in 1989. In appreciation for the life opportunities which Fairfield had provided him, and in honor of his mother, he funded the Barbara M. Berchem Scholarship for the benefit of other first-generation college students. He and his wife Lee live in Westport, CT, and have three children and seven grandchildren.

Distinguished Faculty / Administrator Award
Eugene Doris

Image: Gene Doris Under the guidance of Fairfield University Athletics Director Eugene Doris, Fairfield Athletics has flourished. When he came to Fairfield University 19 years ago in 1994, the Walsh Athletic Center did not exist. Visiting teams were told to come dressed in their uniforms because there was not a locker room for them to use. In fact, there were not even locker rooms for most of the teams on campus. The University now boasts 20 varsity sports, a solid Division I standing, and a multi-million-dollar facility. The University has seen the Stags win the overall Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Commissioner's Cup four times; the men have earned the Cup three times, and the women's teams have won an impressive seven times. And Mr. Doris has garnered multiple awards for his skills as an athletic director. In 2004, he received the Constituent Supporter of the Year Award from the Coastal Fairfield County Convention and Visitors Bureau for his role in bringing the NCAA Women's Basketball First and Second rounds to the Webster Bank Arena. He was instrumental in securing the 2006 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Regionals, and the 2007 MAAC Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments. Fairfield also hosted the 2008 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament First and Second rounds and co-hosted the 2009 and 2011 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey East Regional. Fairfield and the MAAC just hosted the 2013 NCAA Women's Basketball Regional. In 2010, he received the Division I Northeast Athletic Director of the Year Award from the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. Mr. Doris, a Fairfield, CT, resident, holds a bachelor's degree in history and a master's degree in teaching, both from Fordham University.

Honorary Alumna
Nancy Lynch, P'95

Image: Nancy Lynch Nancy Lynch, P'95, has been a dedicated volunteer her entire adult life. For the past ten years, she has focused her time and energy on the field of healthcare, and Fairfield University has been the recipient of her many gifts. With natural leadership qualities and a passion for the issues, Nancy played a significant role in recruiting and mentoring members of the first advisory board for the University's School of Nursing. She designed and implemented the two-day retreat that officially launched the Board, and served as chair for two terms, from the board's inception in 2005 to 2012. The momentum she nurtured as Advisory Board chair resulted in gifts of approximately $1 million to the Robin Kanarek Learning Resource Center in the School, which was the Board's first fundraising priority.

Ms. Lynch's leadership, the development of the School's advisory board became a model for other institutions. In 2006, along with University staff, she outlined details of the formation of a School-specific advisory board in a workshop at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Conference in Washington, D.C. She also co-authored an article on the subject with the former dean of the School of Nursing, Dr. Jeanne Novotny, which was published in the Journal of Professional Nursing in 2007. Nancy also received the James Daly School of Nursing Award for her mentorship and extraordinary commitment to Fairfield University in 2007. She and her husband, Roger, a former chair of the Board of Trustees, are long-time members of The President's Circle and have been major donors to the University. Former Greenwich residents, they now live in Vero Beach, Florida. In recognition of the couple's generosity to Fairfield, the auditorium in the School of Nursing was named The Nancy Lynch Auditorium in 2008.

The Fairfield Award
James P. and Linda C. Slattery, P'92, and the Slattery Family

When Chris Slattery '92, a block equities trader at Cantor Fitzgerald, was killed in the World Trade Center attacks September 11, 2001, his parents, Jim and Linda Slattery, his brother Dan, and sister Erin recognized the outpouring of affection from friends and family by establishing a foundation in honor of Chris to support scholarships for students who attend Chris' alma maters: Chaminade High School in Mineola, N.Y., and Fairfield University. To augment the foundation, the Slattery family launched the annual Chris Slattery Golf Classic. Over the past ten years, the Classic drew up to 175 people for each golf outing. Now, thanks to the generosity, hard work, and dedication of the Slattery Family and their many supporters, the Christopher Slattery '92 Scholarship at Fairfield University has grown to nearly $1,000,000. Having reached the milestone they targeted, the Slatterys recently voted to close the Foundation. Since 2002, the Fund has helped finance the educations of 16 Fairfield students, including five current recipients. The Slatterys have met several of the students supported by the Scholarship. "It's a highlight for us," Jim Slattery said, "They're a great bunch of young men and women, focused on college life and achieving their goals. We're inspired by them." Jim and Linda Slattery live in East Norwich, New York.

Keynote Speaker
Cynthia R. Bigelow

Image: C Bigelow Before assuming her current role as President and CEO of Bigelow Tea in 2005, Cindi Bigelow spent 20 years in virtually all areas of the company that her grandmother founded in 1945. Headquartered in Fairfield, Conn., Bigelow Tea is the national market leader of specialty teas and maker of the popular "Constant Comment" tea. The company remains a family-owned business and employs 330 people across three manufacturing facilities, producing over 1.6 billion tea bags annually. Cynthia and her family initiated the Annual Bigelow Tea Community Challenge in 1987, which has raised over $800,000 since its inception. All proceeds are donated to local charities. She spearheaded the creation of Sandcastle Playground in 1996, a landmark wooden village playground at Jennings Beach in Fairfield, CT, and focal point for children in the community. Her annual volunteer projects include Habitat for Humanity, Adopt-a-Home through the Kennedy Center, and an Appalachian project. Ms. Bigelow is a passionate advocate for education, making frequent classroom appearances to speak to high school, college, and university MBA students about business and business ethics.

She created the Eunice & David Bigelow Scholarship at Fairfield University, providing much-needed financial assistance to deserving students. She graduated magna cum laude from Boston College with a bachelor's degree in marketing, earned her MBA degree at Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management with a major in marketing and finance. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Business degree from the University of New Haven. Cynthia Bigelow lives in Fairfield, CT.

Photo: L-R: William Atwell, chairman of the University's Board of Trustees and Awards Dinner co-chair; Cynthia Bigelow, keynote speaker; Nancy Lynch, Honorary Alumna; Walter and Erin Slattery Appelle and James and Linda Slattery, recipients of The Fairfield Award; Rev. Jeffery P. von Arx, S.J., president of Fairfield University; Carlos Cardoso, Alumni Professional Achievement Honoree; Gene Doris, athletics director and Distinguished Faculty/Administrator Honoree; Robert Berchem, Alumni Service Honoree; Maureen Errity Bujno, Alumni Association president; and Gavin O'Connor, event co-chair.