Major contributors honored at annual Pathfinders ceremony
Lights twinkled brightly in the Freight Shed event venue at Yorktown Beach on the evening of April 12th as VIMS honored our own shining stars during the Pathfinders ceremony. This annual event acknowledges the contributions of some of the Institute’s most generous and consistent supporters.
In his welcoming remarks, Dean & Director Derek Aday described VIMS’ strategic direction, made possible in part by the philanthropy of the event attendees. Aday then honored nine new inductees into the Pathfinder Society, which consists of those whose lifetime giving to VIMS has reached $100,000 or more: Elana R. Anderson and Jasper Kornerup, David Driver, Robert Gammisch, James “Hal” Hardaway, Richard “Rick” and Susan Hill, and Richard and Pamela Lafferty.
The evening also saw the announcement of VIMS’ preeminent donor recognition, the Pathfinder Award, which is only presented when service and contributions are extraordinary. This year, the commendation was unexpectedly awarded twice; to Hal Hardaway, and to Rick and Susan Hill.
The featured speaker of the evening was VIMS Professor Robert Latour, director of the Multispecies Research Group, which includes the Virginia Shark Monitoring and Assessment Program. The program recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of its longline shark survey, one of the longest-running surveys of its kind in the world. Latour emphasized the importance of attendees’ support, which enables VIMS scientists to conduct critical research and advisory services that help us better understand and conserve marine ecosystems.
Invitees included donors who have given at least $5,000 to VIMS in the current fiscal year, documented VIMS in their estate plan and/or have lifetime giving to VIMS of $100,000 or more.