Friends of Ithaca College Names New Officers

Three local residents have assumed key positions with the Friends of Ithaca College, the community organization that marked its 40th year in 1998 by raising more than $120,000 in support of the new James J. Whalen Center for Music.

New Friends president Howard Hartnett is vice president of trusts at M & T Bank in Ithaca. A member of the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce, Hartnett has spent many years in service to the Ithaca community. He has been a member of the Friends since 1996 and served on the committee heading the School of Music campaign. Ithaca native Lisa Bagnardi Farr is the new Friends president-elect, and Tom Colbert, president of INSTL Equities and vice president of Integrated Property Systems, is vice president.

The Friends of Ithaca College was formed in March 1958, when Ithaca College trustee Roland "Red" Fowler agreed to lead a committee of local residents to raise funds for the College’s expansion to South Hill. His group of 100 "friends" each pledged to give funds annually and to recruit others to participate. Within six months the group raised more than $6,000 for library books and much-needed scientific equipment. The group has been a positive force for the College for more than four decades, and its good works include the School of Music campaign and a continuing endowed scholarship program for students in the Tompkins County area. The endowment, which has grown to nearly $650,000, now supports some 30 Ithaca College students each year. A reception area will be named in the Friends’ honor when construction of the Whalen Center is complete.