[LEWISBURG, W.Va.] The New River Community and Technical College Foundation hosted a step dedication ceremony in honor of Jack and Barbara Bunzel on Friday, Nov. 22 at the campus in Lewisburg.
Dr. Richard and Ann Kline chose to dedicate a plaque in memory of Mrs. Kline’s mother, Barbara, and her husband Jack Bunzel. An inscribed plaque will be installed on the front steps of the historic Greenbrier Hall.
Jack Bunzel served as president of San Jose State University and was appointed by former President Ronald Reagan to the U.S. Commission of Civil Rights in 1983.
“There is a tremendous commitment to education shown not only through the illustrious career of Jack Bunzel, but also through the generosity of the Klines, who are the benefactors of student scholarships at New River CTC,” said Executive Director of Institutional Advancement and the Foundation Michael Green.
“Each year, Dr. Richard and Ann Kline’s philanthropy helps students to complete their degree and certificate programs and achieve their career goals.”
During the step dedication event, Reed Bunzel of Charleston, S.C. spoke of his father, John Harvey “Jack” Bunzel, who was a senior research fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and was at the forefront of the defense of free speech on college campuses during the turbulent 1960s. Jack Bunzel wrote extensively on political and social matters in publications including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Los Angeles Times. Additionally, he wrote a weekly column for the San Jose Mercury News and hosted a weekly television program “The American Voter” on the San Francisco CBS affiliate station. He authored seven books and received the distinguished Hubert Humphrey Award from the American Political Science Association.
Ann Kline remembered her mother as being a wonderful role model, sharing her husband’s interest in politics as well as her own interests in literature and finance. Barbara Bunzel graduated from Stanford University and met Jack while volunteering in the political science department.
New River CTC President Dr. Bonny Copenhaver said the college would not be able to serve students as effectively without community partners such as the Kline family.
“I extend my heart-felt appreciation to all of those who contribute to the College,” Copenhaver said. “It is an honor to work together toward the shared goal of educational excellence.”
New River CTC Foundation awards more than $125,000 in student scholarships each year. For more information, contact 304-929-6734 or visit www.nrctcf.org.
New River Community and Technical College serves nine counties in southeastern West Virginia from the Greenbrier Valley Campus (Lewisburg), Mercer County Campus (Princeton), Nicholas County Campus (Summersville) and Raleigh County Campus (Beaver).
