CHARLES W. DURHAM RECEIVES HONORARY
DOCTORATE FROM DANA COLLEGE
Omaha architect honored for outstanding
support
of Omaha-area institutions and charities
Dana College honored the Charles W. Durham by presenting
him with an honorary doctor of business at the college’s Commencement
Ceremony, May 22 in Blair, Neb.
Durham is one of the most well-known figures in Omaha,
having achieved extraordinary success building HDR, Inc. into one
of the world’s largest and best architectural engineering
firms. He has previously been honored by the James Madison Council
of the Library of Congress, where he was a founding member and steering
committee member. In 2003, he was given the prestigious Horatio
Alger Award. Locally, he has been King of Ak-Sar-Ben, Chairman of
the Omaha Chamber, Director of the University of Nebraska Foundation
and a director and member of many other volunteer organizations.
“One way people count achievement is for awards
received, and there is no award of any significance in the Omaha
business and volunteer sector that Chuck has not received,”
said Dr. Myrvin Christopherson, president.
Durham is also one of Omaha’s greatest philanthropists.
His monetary support has helped build the University of Nebraska
at Omaha’s Durham Science Building and Carillion Tower, the
University of Nebraska Medical Center’s The Durham Research
Center, the Durham Western Heritage Museum, the Henry Doorly Zoo’s
Tree Tops Restaurant, the Nebraska Humane Society’s center
and Boy Scout centers. He and his late wife, Margre, helped the
college construct the Margre Henningson Durham Center after Dana’s
main classroom building, Old Main, burned in the late 1980s.
“In my estimation, the most important reason
to grant somebody your highest honor is because a person’s
character and spirit rises to the level of ‘worthy of distinction,’”
Christopherson said. “I have seen Chuck remain steady even
through adversity, the loss of his life partner, Margre, and a fractured
hip that has reduced his mobility, but never flagged his spirit.
If it were not for supporters like Chuck Durham, private colleges
like Dana, who receive no direct state or federal dollars, would
not be here.”
Dana College is a place where all students actively
participate. They make things happen — in their own lives
and in the lives of others. Through a highly supportive faculty
and campus community, Dana students develop interpersonal skills,
leadership abilities, and other important values and knowledge as
they make choices about their future. Dana’s outstanding academic
programs in business, education, music and social work, among others,
ensure that students have the knowledge, skills and experience necessary
to pursue challenging careers or placement in graduate school.
Dana College is a private, liberal arts institution
in Blair, Neb. To learn more, visit www.dana.edu.
Dana College: Develop talents,
Take charge, Build a future — We’re with you all the
way.
— END —
For more information contact:
Sarah Cavanah
Communications Coordinator
Dana College
(402) 426-7216
scavanah@dana.edu
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