During RPI’s Alumni Weekend in October this year, the Rensselaer Alumni Association (RAA) recognized the contributions of Theta Chi alumnus Nicholas M. Donofrio (1967) with the Distinguished Service Award (DSA). The DSA is the highest award presented by the RAA, and it recognizes “truly distinguished service to a profession, to the nation, or to humanity.”
Donofrio was chosen for the award based upon his service on many Rensselaer boards and committees, including the Rensselaer Board of Trustees; his personal commitment to working with women and underrepresented minorities to enrich the technical professions around the world with a diversity of culture and thought; his lifelong career achievements, where he led virtually all of IBM’s manufacturing and development teams over his more than 40 years with the company; and the generous philanthropic support he and his wife, Anita, have shown to Rensselaer.
Donofrio becomes the fourth Delta Chapter alumnus to win the DSA, joining Carl J. Thomsen (1938), C. Sheldon Roberts (1948) and W. Robert McIntosh (1960). The DSA has only been awarded 44 times, so Delta Chapter now represents almost 10 percent of all winners, and a huge percentage of fraternity member winners!
The RAA has several other levels of awards, and many Theta Chi’s have won these as well – see the list below.
For all of these outstanding alumni, it has never been more true: “Alma Mater First and Theta Chi For Alma Mater”.
Albert Fox Demers Medal (awarded since 1942)
Earl D. Rhodes ’21 *
Vernon D. Beehler ’25 *
Floyd H. Knapp ’27 *
W. Harrington Disbrow ’28 *
Woodman Perine ’31 *
Michael V. Ciminera ’59
W. Robert McIntosh ‘60
Richard O. Bollam '66
Nicholas M. Donofrio ‘67
Jan S. Pirrong ‘69
Director’s Award (awarded since 1984)
Gordon M. Kilby ‘53
Robert L. Staley ’56 *
Dan T. Spencer ‘60
Jan S. Pirrong ‘69
Mark P. Rice ‘71
Lew D. French III ‘83
Matthew T. Siegel ‘85
Raymond A. Moran ’95
The Alumni Key Award (awarded since 1965)
W. Harrington Disbrow ’28 *
Carl H. Samans ’29 *
William F. Kramer ’30 *
John A. Forster ’35 *
Richard V. Anderson ’37 *
Carl L. Kessler ’37 *
Richard N. Marshall ’37 *
C. Sheldon Roberts ‘48
H. Bartlett Howe ’50 *
Graham Williams ’52 *
Gordon M. Kilby ’53
Richard M. Somers, Jr. ’53 *
Michael V. Ciminera ‘59
W. Robert McIntosh ‘60
Rudolph R. Schwarzer ’63 *
W. Everett Molony Jr. ‘63
William C. Stitt ‘63
Gordon N. McIntosh ‘64
Richard O. Bollam ‘66
Gregory N. Hughes ‘67
Nicholas M. Donofrio ‘67
Jan S. Pirrong ‘69
Mark P. Rice ‘71
Lew D. French III ‘83
Matthew T. Siegel ‘85