Scholarship Dinner Raises $700k for SUNY Maritime

The State University of New York Maritime College honored two industry leaders at its annual Admiral’s Scholarship Dinner last week, with more than 500 alumni, industry partners, friends, students, faculty and staff in attendance on the Maritime College campus.
 

The sold-out event raised more than $700,000 for student scholarships; a record amount.

The College honored Richard A. Angerame, Class of 1973, President and CEO of utiliVisor, and Morton S. Bouchard III, President and CEO of Bouchard Transportation Company, Inc. for their generous and continued support of the College and its students, at the scholarship fundraising event.

Richard A. Angerame has more than 35 years experience in the operation and performance of HVAC and utility metering systems.  He is a 1973 graduate engineer of SUNY Maritime College with a United States Coast Guard license for the operation of steam and diesel shipboard power plants. In addition to his successes in business, during the past several years, Mr. Angerame has been an extremely supportive friend of SUNY Maritime College.  He has educated three sons (Timothy ’00, Peter ’04, and Christopher ’06) at the College, and he has been a supportive alumnus, sponsoring an annual scholarship to assist other students achieve their dreams.   

Morton S. Bouchard III is the Bouchard family's fourth generation to manage Bouchard Transportation Company, Inc. the largest privately-owned ocean-going petroleum barge company in the United States.  Bouchard Transportation has operations on the East and Gulf coasts of the United States, and in the Caribbean. Mr. Bouchard and Bouchard Transportation have a wonderful history with SUNY Maritime College, awarding scholarships to deserving students, as well as employing Maritime graduates. This year, the Bouchard Transportation Company, Inc. Tug & Barge Simulation Center will open on campus, thanks to their continued generosity.
 

The evening’s festivities also included a robust, live auction.  Among the items auctioned were:
 

• One-year named scholarships —Participants were able to bid on scholarships of varying values to honor a loved one, or recognize their business, while directly supporting one, two, or more students earn a degree, and become the next generation of mariners.
• When the bidding ended, 19 scholarships, ranging in support levels ranging from $1,000 to $15,000 were established.  A total of $113,500 was raised for the Admiral’s Scholarship Fund.
• The Captain’s Cover – Bidders were able to claim the cover (cap) of Captain Rick Smith, Class of 1981, Master of the College’s training ship, Empire State VI, and Commandant of Cadets. The participants were able to help commemorate Captain Smith’s 15 years at SUNY Maritime College.  The winning bid was $30,000.
• Naming opportunity within mess hall – Dinner guests had a chance to bid on a one-year naming opportunity to place the name of their business on the wall of the campus’ mess deck (dining hall). On a regular day, 2,000 students and some 50 visitors eat at and use the mess deck; on weekends, it is utilized by an additional 500 Navy personnel.  

Following a flurry of bidding activity, a joint winning bid of $110,000 was received from Bouchard Transportation Company, Inc. and McAllister Towing and Transportation Co., Inc.
 

The Admiral’s Scholarship Dinner is the primary event to raise funds for student scholarships at SUNY Maritime College. The young men and women who receive scholarships have demonstrated exemplary character and achievement in their coursework, extracurricular activities, and personal endeavors.  All proceeds benefit the Admiral’s Dinner Scholarship Fund.