HobartAlumni Association
Mission
The purpose of the Alumni Association of Hobart College shall be to promote the interests of Hobart College and its alumni; to strengthen relations between the College and the alumni; to provide means and methods to enable alumni and the College to better understand and serve one another; and to work with the President of Hobart and William Smith Colleges, its Board of Trustees, Director of Alumni and Alumnae Relations, Office of Advancement, and the William Smith College Alumni Association in order to strengthen relations between Hobart College and its alumni.
For more information, please contact the Office of Alumni and Alumnae Relations at alumrelations@hws.edu.
Hobart Alumni Association Bylaws
Committees
Executive Committee
President – Mark A. Darden III ’87, P’17
Vice President – Steven W. Westort '94
Immediate Past President and Association Trustee – Paul Wasmund ’07
Association Trustee - Ludwig P. Gaines ’88
Historian – Andrew Donovan ’12
Member-at-Large - Jonathan P. Wilkerson '94, P'26
Member-at-Large and Admissions Liaison - David “Dave” B. Fisher '10
Member-at-Large - Terry K. Smith '80
Full list of Hobart College Alumni Association Past Presidents
LIAISONS
Afro Latino Alumni Association - Kwame J. Lovell '10
Chief Class Correspondent - John E. Norvell ’66, P’99, P’02, L.H.D.’24
Statesmen Athletic Association (SAA) - Raphael "Rafe" A. Mattingly ’08
LGBTQIA+ Alumni Network - Jonathan "Jon" R. Hureau '07 (He/Him)
Local Alumni Liaison - Peter V. Budmen ’15, MAT’16 (He/Him)
Career Services - Connor S. Barnett '16
Honors Committee
The Honors Committee’s objective is to promote the recognition of worthy alumni, alumnae, faculty, administrators, students and friends of the Alumni Association.
Committee Members:
Christopher "Chip" Armstrong '08, Chair
Brian A. Burbank '11
Heritage Committee
The Heritage Committee’s objective is to preserve the identity, traditions, history, legends, songs, and symbols of Hobart College.
Committee Members:
Kyle Zaverton ’15, Chair
Thomas Hadlock ’64
Paul "Ziggy" W. Zagaeski '75
Distinguished Faculty Committee
(Joint Committee with William Smith Alumnae Association)
The objective of the Distinguished Faculty Committee is to promote the recognition of outstanding members of the Colleges’ faculty, living or deceased, who have been retired for at least five years. View past recipients
Committee Members:
William Smith:
Melissa Fasolo Gorczynski '98, William Smith Co-Chair
Audrey G.R. Platt ’21
Ariel Trent '14
Josephina M. Rago '11
Hobart:
William "Bill" H. Tierney ’90, P’20, Hobart Co-Chair
Lawrence J. Moultrie ’04
Maxwell "Max" I. Potter '14
Awards
Medal of Excellence
First awarded and presented in 1970, the Hobart Medal of Excellence is the Alumni Association’s highest honor. The Medal is awarded to an alumnus who, by reason of outstanding accomplishments in his business, profession or community service, has brought honor and distinction to his alma mater.
Click here to view past recipients
Hobart Lifetime Service Award
Presented to alumnus who have made exceptional contributions to Hobart College throughout their lives. This award is the Alumni Association’s highest honor for outstanding service to Hobart College by an alumni. This award is presented during Reunion Weekend.
Click here to view past recipients
Alumnus Citation
Citations are presented for distinguished and exceptional service and a history of outstanding contributions to Hobart College by alumni, faculty, staff or friends of the College. This award is presented during Reunion Weekend.
Click here to view past recipients
The Young Alumnus Award
The Young Alumnus Award is presented within 15 years following graduation to alumni who demonstrate exceptional volunteer service and commitment to The Colleges. This award is presented during Reunion Weekend.
Click here to view past recipients
Hobart Traditions
John Henry Hobart Day
In honor of Episcopal Bishop John Henry Hobart, John Henry Hobart Day is the opening day ceremony, held usually on the evening prior to the first day of the fall semester classes. The ceremony is marked by the reading, serially, of the names of every new matriculant to the College. The assembly is addressed by the President of Hobart and William Smith, the President of Hobart Student Association, a representative from the Druid Society, Hobart’s Director of Alumni and Alumnae Relations and the Dean of Hobart College.
Blackwell Hale Academic Achievement Dinner
The Blackwell Hale Academic Achievement Dinner honors Hobart students and William Smith students who have outstanding academic achievements and social contributions to Hobart College and William Smith College. It brings together students and distinguished alumni and alumnae to recognize the best of Hobart’s traditions and William Smith traditions and achievements.
Charter Day
One of the year’s largest celebrations, Charter Day is help in the spring to commemorate the granting of Hobart’s charter by the State of New York on April 10, 1822. Awards are given to Hobart students in recognition of their academic achievements, community service and leadership and new members of the Orange Key, Chimera and Druid societies are honored.
Hobart Launch
Initiated in 2004, Launch is an annual event to officially welcome soon-to-be Hobart graduates into the Alumni Association.
Hobart College Alma Mater
Written in 1876 by Hobart alumnus Edward J. Cook and set to music by Professor Charles J. Rose in 1895, the alma mater closes every formal meeting of Hobart College.
Listen to the Hobart College alma mater
Evermore thy sons shall be, Hip Hobart, my Hip Hobart
Champions bold of liberty, Hip Hobart, my Hip Hobart;
Ever shall thy champions prove, filled with brave unchanging love,
Lifting souls to heights above, Hip Hobart, my Hip Hobart.
Raise the orange and purple high,
Let us shame them never,
Shout the triumph to the sky,
“Hip Hobart, forever!”
Evermore thy fame shall last, Hip Hobart, my Hip Hobart,
Glorious still as in the past, Hip Hobart, my Hip Hobart;
With a faith and courage strong, battling e’er against the wrong,
Honors great to thee belong, Hip Hobart, my Hip Hobart.
Raise the orange and purple high,
Let us shame them never,
Shout the triumph to the sky,
“Hip Hobart, forever!”