ISSUED: 19 May 2016
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Shepherd University President Mary J.C. Hendrix hosted her inaugural Joseph P. McMurran Society Dinner Reception on Saturday, May 14. Sponsored by the Shepherd University Foundation, the annual event brings together society members and their guests, along with Shepherd University faculty and administrators, to honor those whom have chosen to share their financial achievements with the university through estate and other planned gifts.
Prior to the dinner, Hendrix commended society members for their optimism, forward-thinking, investment decisions, and loyalty to Shepherd University.
“I have recently returned home to lead this remarkable institution of higher learning as we advance the frontiers of excellence, innovation, and opportunity,” said Hendrix. “With the generous and thoughtful investment of our Joseph P. McMurran Society members, Shepherd’s future is bright.”
Held in the atrium of Erma Ora Byrd Hall with its views of Shepherd’s East Campus, the event featured a four-course dinner prepared by Chef Scott Anderson and Shepherd University Catering. The meal included grilled flank steak with a merlot reduction demi-glace and roasted corn salad as an entrée, and a Italian crème cake with lemon curd and blueberries for dessert.
Guests were also treated to a performance by flutist Melissa McKay, who performed Sonate pour Flute et Piano by Francis Poulenc, accompanied on piano by Dr. Yu Hsuan-Liao, an assistant professor of Shepherd’s Department of Music. McKay graduated with a B.A. in music with a focus on instrumental performance this May. She is a recipient of the Carl K. Rauch Endowed Scholarship for Fine Arts, originally established as a planned gift through the Shepherd University Foundation.
Recognized as the first president of Shepherd University, Joseph McMurran set standards of academic excellence that required him to make personal financial sacrifices in order to keep the college open. Through his dedication to Shepherd, Professor McMurran began a tradition of philanthropy which is carried on today by the society’s members.
To learn more about establishing a planned gift through the Shepherd University Foundation, please contact Monica Lingenfelter, Shepherd University Foundation, P.O. Box 5000, Shepherdstown, WV, 25443-5000, 304-876-5397, mlingenf@shepherd.edu or visit shepherduniversityfoundation.org.
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