November 2019: Letter from the president

Fellow Alumni and Friends,

At my last writing we were anticipating the Oct. 5 homecoming tailgate before the game against Michigan State.  All went well, both for the gridiron Buckeyes and for our many guests.  All 40 of the tickets for the game were sold (even though they were high up in the C-section—beyond our control), and about 30 alumni & 50 guests gathered at Remembrance Park.  Best of all, we were joined by about 40 Army cadets, whose meals were all provided through your sponsorship. Thank you. We had a brief program of announcements, recognition of guests, updates from LTC Toohey and me.  A highlight was the presentation of OSUAA’s “Pay-It-Forward” awards to board member Tom Adinaro and showing off the giant $1,000 check OSUAA gave us for the Program of the Year award.

Now on to our future activities and opportunities.

First, another reminder to save the dates for the Spring Awards and Hall of Fame Reception on March 19, 2020 from 5–8 p.m. In early February, our next communication will advise you when registration will open.

Opportunities to pay it forward

With the holiday season in full swing, as well as end-of-year tax deductions, you are likely receiving many solicitations to “give.” My pitch is a little different, and does not necessarily call for outlay of money now. Instead, here are a couple ways you can stay involved while giving back before the year’s end.

• Renew your membership. Out of the thousands of AROTC Alumni, we have only about 120 alumni society members. Over half of them are Life Members; about 20 of the remaining have a membership that expires at the end of this year. If that’s you, please renew soon.

• Join the alumni society. With a modest donation of $25 per year, you can become an official member of the AROTC alumni society.
  You must be a member to serve on our Board of Governors or take part in its election in February 2020. For at least $75 dollars per year, you can be a sustaining member of the OSUAA and our society.

• Sponsor a Cadet. This is an easy way to stay involved with AROTC even if you live far from Columbus. Sponsorships cost around $15-25 per cadet. We have many opportunities for sponsorship coming up, including the Hall of Fame Reception and the following Senior Breakfast.  Formerly, we folded overhead cost into the meal price for the Hall of Fame event, so Hall of Fame sponsorships cost $50. We have received $1,000- $1,500 some years. Last year, at the reduced cost of $25, support fell to barely $600.  If you wish to help at the same level, please consider purchasing multiple sponsorships. More information regarding the sponsorship process and how to sponsor will be provided in early February.

• Support a scholarship endowment. An especially deserving one is the Bonnell Family Scholarship, nearing its $50,000 endowment goal. For more information about this scholarship, click here. Another giving opportunity worth noting is the university-wide Time and Change campaign, with a goal to reach $4.5 billion and a million individual donors by June 2021.

• Make a general donation to our society and the university. Our board covers lots of expenses for events supporting the Buckeye Battalion.  You can make a general donation to help us do that. Donate now.

Thank you for your attention and support.

Buckeyes Lead The Way!

David Greer, ’67, President