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News Release

Last modified: Monday, October 22, 2007

IU Foundation honors 'Partners in Philanthropy'

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 22, 2007

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- In recognition of the key role played by volunteers leaders in service and philanthropy, the Indiana University Foundation has recognized 10 individuals as outstanding "Partners in Philanthropy" for Indiana University.

The awards were presented Oct. 17 as part of "Celebrate IU" week by IU President Michael A. McRobbie and IU Foundation President Curt Simic. The awards recognize the vital contribution of volunteers to the success of philanthropic initiatives for IU, especially at the highest levels of service.

The Foundation established four awards for outstanding volunteers and friends of IU: the Amicus Laureate, Cornerstone, Keystone and the Herman B Wells Visionary Award. For each of these awards, the Foundation solicited nominations from the Indiana University community and the IU Foundation Board.

The Amicus Laureate Award was presented to Chris and Jim Platis of Schererville, Ind. The brothers, who graduated from IU in the 1940s, were star athletes at IU who went on to decades-long careers as outstanding amateur athletes in track and field and in baseball. Now in their 80s, both brothers have a long list of medals and records at the state, national and international levels, including the Senior Olympics. Their individual and team baseball records have been accepted into the archives of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

The Cornerstone Award recognizes individuals who have been instrumental in the philanthropic success of a specific campaign philanthropic initiative.

• Michael Arnolt and George Martin were honored for chairing the Class of '67 Campaign. The class funded the Robert H. Shaffer Endowed Professorship for their 25th reunion and then continued on to raise $1 million to transform the professorship into an endowed chair. Arnolt is president and owner of TherapyCare Resources Inc., developers of the Graston Technique®, an advanced and patented method of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, in Indianapolis. Martin is an attorney in private practice in Fort Wayne.
• Mark W. Elliott of Ridgefield, Conn., is general manager, Global ISV Solution Sales for IBM. He was a key player in providing Indiana University with its 'Big Red" super computer, serves on the Information Technology Advancement Council, and is a generous supporter of information technology initiatives, for which IU is known nationally.
• James Robert "Rob" Quigg of Richmond, Ind., chaired the $2 million Campaign for Community for Indiana University East, the most successful campaign in the campus' history. He continues to advocate for the campus and to serve on its advisory board.
• Elaine Stitle of Indianapolis co-chaired the $6 million School of Education campaign during the Academic Endowment Campaign for IU Bloomington. She has also served as co-chair for the Colloquium for Women of Indiana University, a Foundation program based in Bloomington for women who are leadership volunteer leaders for major benefactors of IU. She also served on the Board of Advisors for Insight: the Colloquium for Women, a program that engages community leaders and leadership donors in the life of IUPUI.

The Keystone awards are presented to individuals who have provided leadership in multiple campaigns and fundraising initiatives.

• Robert F. "Bob" and Sara LeBien of Bloomington are generous supporters of and volunteers for a number of IU programs, especially in business and the arts, but are known especially for leading the effort to create and place a seated figure of Herman B Wells on campus, creating a scholarship fund for students who have exhausted all other means of staying in school, and volunteering to support the soccer program. Bob LeBien is a member of the executive committee of the current Matching the Promise fundraising campaign for IU Bloomington.
• William B. "Joe" Moores is a physician in Indianapolis. He has served the School of Medicine for decades as a volunteer, including chairing and co-chairing numerous fundraising projects and campaigns. He is credited with raising millions of dollars for the School, and serves on the Dean's Council. After many decades in private practice, he has joined the faculty of the School of Medicine.
• Dennis M. "Denny" Sponsel is president of RJE Business Interiors in Indianapolis, which distributes comprehensive office furnishings and workplace systems. His volunteer efforts have been directed to the IUPUI campus, the IU's Columbus Center and the IU School of Informatics. In Indianapolis, he was instrumental in the IUPUI Learning Spaces renovations, the Herron School of Art and Design, the Campus Center and the Emerging Technologies Center. He serves on boards advising the University Library and the Dean's Industrial Advisory Committee of the School of Engineering and Technology, among others.

The Herman B Wells Visionary Award recognizes a single individual whose lifetime commitment to philanthropy is extraordinary.

• Donald C. "Danny" Danielson, vice chariman of City Securities in Indianapolis, is a business and civic leader in Indianapolis and New Castle. Recognized for his leadership as a student as early as the 1930s, Danielson has led several key endowment campaigns and served as a tireless and effective volunteer fundraiser. Among other projects, he was vice chairman of the Campaign for Indiana, IU's comprehensive campaign that raised $316.1 million in the 1980s, was a leader for the School of Medicine Capital Campaign and the Wells Scholars Campaign committee, was a co-chair of the Academic Endowment Campaign for IU Bloomington that raised $504 million in the 1990s, was a leader for the John W. Ryan Fellows fundraising program, and was a driving force, with the Henry County Community Foundation in establishing IU East's Danielson Center in New Castle. Danielson was a member of the IU Trustees from 1959 to 1980, serving as president of the Trustees from 1969 to 1980. He has received numerous awards and honors from IU including the Distinguished Alumni Service Award, the Zora G. Clevenger Award from the I-Men's Association, the President's Medal of Excellence, the University Medal, the Thomas Hart Benton Mural Medallion and the Significant Sigma Chi Award. IU awarded him an honorary degree in 1994. Danielson has also received numerous awards from civic organizations for his volunteer and philanthropic efforts. Said Curt Simic, president of the IU Foundation, "One of the criteria for the Wells Visionary Award is that is to be given to a 'rare individual'. In the entire history of Indiana University, only a handful of people can match Danny Danielson's devotion to its cause."

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