I took my first plunge into college-level "advancement"
activities this past week, paying visits to College
of Health donors and friends in the Houston area. The fund-raising "water," so to speak, was
much warmer than I'd anticipated. Fortunately,
I was in the very capable hands of the college's development officer, Rachel
Lowrey, whose organizational skills and seamless execution of detailed plans
border on awesome. Rachel can give the
Energizer Bunny a run for its money (and is quite diplomatic in asking her
senior companion from time to time if he's having trouble keeping up - which,
of course, he was not!).
I may return to highlights from this trip in a later
entry. Suffice to say now that we had a
very good visit with David Fine - president and CEO of St. Luke's Episcopal
Health System, recipient of a USM Honorary Doctorate last fall, and generous CoH
benefactor - and look forward to a new effort to endow the college's David J.
Fine Distinguished Lecturer Series.
Houston, for those who don't
know it, is practically our near neighbor - six or so hours by car, barely an
hour's flight from Jackson or New Orleans.
It struck me as a bustling place, heavy with activity and opportunity -
perhaps especially for those in the health-related disciplines. Hattiesburg West, anyone?
