Daemen College : News : News Releases
Daemen Inducts Eleven Veteran Graduates into Veterans Hall of Fame
Daemen Adds New Veteran Graduates into Hall of Fame During Veterans Day Breakfast
November 19, 2012
Contact: Col Walter O. Gordon
Director-Center for Veterans and
Veteran Family Services
Daemen College
716.839.8225
wgordon@daemen.edu
Media: Mike Andrei
Director-College Relations
Daemen College
(716) 839-8472
mandrei@daemen.edu
Eleven veteran graduates are the newest inductees into the Daemen College Veterans Hall of Fame.
The graduates were recognized during a Veterans Day breakfast hosted by the Daemen College Center for Veterans and Veteran Family Services, honoring all those who have served. Center for Veterans and Veteran Family Services Director Walter O. Gordon, also a veteran currently serving as a colonel in the Air Force Reserve, presented the new inductees.
New members of the Daemen Veterans Hall of Fame who were present at the breakfast were Nerfis Elminowski, and Anthony Melchiorre. Graduates not present at the breakfast but who are also newly-inducted into the Hall are: John Anderson; Lori Banse-Fay; Ashley Dixon; John Kutianski; Elinor Markowski; Faith Sgroi; Kristopher Smith; K. Eric Truesdell; and Eric Wojcinski.
Lt. Col Patrick E. Perretta and Major Kevin Joseph Klostermann, members of the Daemen Class of 2001, were the first veteran graduates to be inducted into the Hall, which opened in 2011. Both have served multiple deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. The veterans continue to serve in the Air Force and Marine Corps Reserves.
Also at the Veterans Day breakfast, Frank Grillo, president of the Daemen chapter of the Student Veterans Alliance (SVA), presented certificates of appreciation on behalf of the SVA to Daemen Vice President for Enrollment Management Dr. Patricia Ruppert Brown and Executive Director of Retention Dr. Blake Thurman.
Daemen President Dr. Edwin Clausen presented a certificate of appreciation on behalf of the College to Patrick Welch, past director of the Daemen Center for Veterans and Veteran Family Services.
The Daemen Center for Veterans and Veteran Family Services is designed to be a comprehensive program to provide aid and assistance to veterans seeking a degree from Daemen College. For additional information on veterans programs at Daemen College visit www.daemen.edu/veterans , or contact Walter O. Gordon, Director, Daemen College Center for Veterans and Veteran Family Services, (716) 839-8225.