|
The College is pleased to announce the following speakers, honorary degree recipients, and class
marshals for the 2008 Commencement exercises to be held on Saturday, May 10, 2008 on the campus of Thomas College.
 H. Allen Ryan, former owner and president of PFG-NorthCenter Food Service Corporation in Augusta, ME and member of the Thomas College Board of Trustees,
will be the 2008 Commencement speaker. Mr. Ryan will also receive an honorary Doctor of Science in Business Administration.
Mr. Ryan graduated from Bowdoin College in 1964. As the owner of PFG-NorthCenter Food Service, he took a fledgling organization with sales of $6 million to annual sales of more than $106 million when he finally sold the business in 1999.
He is past president of the Board of Directors of the Augusta Board of Trade, and serves on the Boards of the Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed, the Guadalupe Center of Immokalee (FL) which serves more than 600 immigrant children with pre-and afterschool programs, and Bowdoin College.
Mr. Ryan has been generous in supporting education at Bowdoin College, Thomas College, and at Cony High School. Together with his wife Dianne he has contributed to the H. Allen Ryan baseball field and the field house portion of the Harold Alfond Athletic Center at Thomas College.
In 2008, Mr. Ryan received the Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the central Maine region. Dianne and Allen are parents of four children: Tracy, Stephen, Andrew and Michael. Allen has served on the Thomas Board of Trustees since 1994.
 J. Alfred Boucher, founder of Fred's Vending and recipient of Good Will-Hinckley's Humanitarian Award and the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Service Award, will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters during the commencement ceremony.
J. Alfred Boucher attended the Immaculate Heart of Mary grammar school and graduated in 1942 from Lawrence High School. Soon after, he joined the U.S. Army, and was captured in North Africa during the battle at Kasserine Pass. He spent 26 months thereafter as a prisoner of war. In 1951, he founded Fred's Vending,
a central Maine business which he led until 1988 when he transferred ownership to his son, Don Boucher. Fred Boucher has a distinguished career as a civic leader and philanthropist in Central Maine, and is a supporter of Mt. Merici School, Maine General Medical Center, the Alfond Youth Center, and Thomas College. He is the recipient of
the prestigious Serviam Award from Mount Merici School and the Ursuline Ministries in recognition of his outstanding leadership in service. In 2005, he was honored with both the Good Will-Hinckley's Humanitarian Award and the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Service Award. With his first wife Mary Charimonte, Fred is the father
of five children, and after her passing, with his wife Kay he is the step-father of nine children.
Susan S. Roche will be the speaker at the Thomas College Honors Convocation. Susan Roche was educated at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and at the Universite Catholique de L'Ouest in Angers, France. An expert in human resource and executive leadership, she has served as the Executive Vice President at Leo Burnett, USA, Inc.,
and as president and co-founder of Student Futures, Inc. She has consulted with firms such as Monster Worldwide and Fidelity, and is currently the chief talent officer of Commonwealth Limousines Worldwide. Susan Roche serves as an undergraduate leadership coach at Babson College and as a guest lecturer at Simmons College. Her daughter is
currently a junior at George Washington University. Susan joined the Thomas College Board of Trustees in 2006.
Seth T. Marstaller will speak at Commencement on behalf of the undergraduate Day Division. Seth will be graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Management degree.
Speaking on behalf of the undergraduate Evening Division will be Lynn M. Clark. Lynn will receive her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree, summa cum laude.
Representing the Graduate Division will be Maura A. Smith. Maura will receive her Master of Science in Education degree.
Class marshals for the 2008 Thomas Commencement ceremony will be Benjamin A. Kenney, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice with a Psychology minor, Laura A. Dunham, graduating with her Bachelor of Science in Management, Hotel/Restaurant concentration, and Annette M. Fuller, graduating with a
Bachelor of Science in Management cum laude and her Master of Business Administration degree.
Commencement activities will begin with the Honors Convocation on Friday, May 9 at 4:30 p.m. in the Ayotte Auditorium, followed by a reception in the Student Center. Immediately following the reception, the Commencement Dinner will be served in the Dining Center (tickets required). The Commencement procession will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 10.
|
