Under the direction of Peter McCarthy ’82 (left) and Greg Adams ’82 the class of 1982 will go down in Oswego State history as the most generous 25th reunion class to date.

The class of 1982 will go down in Oswego State history as the most generous 25th reunion class to date.
        
Under the leadership of Greg Adams ’82 and Peter McCarthy ’82, the Silver Anniversary class has surpassed its goal of $100,000, raising about $108,000 as of press time.
        
The record-setting 25-year class gift will be presented during Reunion at President Deborah F. Stanley’s reception for the anniversary class June 9.

“We’re thrilled that our classmates stepped up to make this happen,” said Adams. He noted that the 1982 class has 1,250 members, and so have donated an average of nearly $100 per person.

“The thing Peter and I are focusing on now is to hand down a challenge to the class of ’83 to set their goal and exceed ours,” Adams said.

The chairs noted that there is still room to stretch the goal for classes coming behind them celebrating a 25-year Reunion.

In fact, they are convinced that this is just the beginning.

“Wouldn’t it be great to dream about a time when the 25-year reunion class could end up giving a quarter of a million dollars?” Adams said.

“We hope this is one step toward that journey.”

Adams and McCarthy stress that it’s not all about the money. The pair encouraged classmates to return to campus for Reunion June 8 to 10. “Come back to campus and celebrate together,” said Adams. “The campus is really re-energized — new buildings, renovated buildings, the Campus Center.”

He stressed the importance of supporting the college. “What’s important is those who give now have the ability to give to something that is meaningful to them or to the general fund of Oswego State,” Adams said. “That’s what got me started years ago. I had the ability to direct funds to something I believed in.”

The co-chairs are helping to create a culture of philanthropy at Oswego. “In a state university system philanthropy has not been a big part of the process,” Adams said. “As alumni, I hope we all feel the connection to make the school the best it can be. I hope Peter and I have been able to create some awareness.”

McCarthy and Adams had kept in touch throughout the years since their graduation from Oswego.
        
“Both of us have been actively participating in The Fund for Oswego probably for 10 years or so,” said Adams. He added that the pair wanted to challenge their classmates with a goal “that stretches what people have done before.”

Supporting Oswego helps build the value of alumni degrees, said McCarthy. “If you sell a stock and it goes it up, you don’t get any gain from it,” he said. “But even at the height of our careers, if the school’s reputation is good today, it still shines on those of us who have been out for 25 years.”

Although they had a high ideal in mind, the pair enjoyed the process of writing letters and calling classmates to join in the challenge.

“This was fun,” said Adams. “Peter and I are a couple of competitive people and it was fun for us to team up and make this happen.”

—Michele Reed