October 25, 2005

Rotarian honored with gateway naming

TROY – Troy University honored a retired faculty member and Troy Rotarian by naming an entryway in his honor.

Dr. Nolan Hatcher and his wife Willetta were honored with Hatcher International Gateway at the University’s Rotary International Center at Pace Hall Tuesday, and unveiled the centerpiece of the gateway, a 16,000-plus pound granite globe that adorns a central fountain leading into the Rotary International Center .

“The Hatchers have been very generous in helping the University renovate Pace Hall,” said Dr. Doug Hawkins, president pro-tem of the University’s Board of Trustees.

Hawkins said that through the combined efforts of the Hatchers, the Troy Rotary Club, the state of Alabama , other private donors and the University, support for the international program has flourished.

A bulk of that support has come directly from the Troy Rotary Club, which presented a $12,500 check to the University during the noon-time dedication ceremonies. The dedication was the eighth installment of a 10-year, $125,000 commitment by the club to support the University’s international program, said Carol Franks, a Rotary club and district officer.

Hatcher, the long-time international student advisor, was credited with helping build TROY ’s international student population – now at just more than 620 students from 50 nations, said Chancellor Jack Hawkins Jr.

“The Rotary Club has gone beyond the call of duty and, to a large extent, made this renovation possible,” Chancellor Hawkins said. “We’re proud this gateway is named in honor of Willetta and Nolan Hatcher and I say ‘thank you’ for all you have done.”

Providing the ceremony’s keynote address was Dr. Seth Hammett, speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives, who holds an honorary doctorate from the University.

“ TROY is indeed one great university,” he said. “Our world is getting smaller … and we can learn much from each other. We need to keep the vision of sharing ideas and information to make the world a better place. That’s our challenge and goal.”