Slideshow: The 2014 Alumni Association Dinner

Some 140 alumni of Thomas Aquinas College gathered on the College campus Saturday for the annual Alumni Association Dinner. The evening began with drinks and a festive meal on the academic quadrangle, followed by a talk from Thomas Susanka (’76). The Association chose Mr. Susanka as this year’s honoree because he is celebrating his 35th anniversary as a member of the College’s faculty, first as director of admissions, and now as the director of gift planning.

“Catholic liberal education really does work,” Mr. Susanka reflected. “It has opened treasure rooms of learning, culture, and wisdom whose very existence we otherwise would not have known about and by which our minds and lives are made fuller and more interesting than they otherwise would have been. And it has helped us discover intellectual, moral, and ethical principles by which, always together with God’s graces, we can direct our steps and our families’ steps along safe paths through the valley of the shadow of the culture of death.”

To show its gratitude, the Alumni Association presented Mr. Susanka with a gift certificate to a nearby restaurant and a “Tommy” — the Association’s Oscar-inspired award, represented by a statuette of Rodin’s “The Thinker.” Said Director of Alumni Relations Mark Kretschmer (’99), “It was wonderful to hear Tom share his memories about the people and events that make up our history, all with the wit and humor for which he is famous. The whole evening, with its reunion of good friends and its many great conversations, was a reminder of so much of what we love about our alma mater.”