UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State has recognized Linda Gall, a Centre County community leader and longtime Penn State supporter, as its 2014 Fundraising Volunteer of the Year. The award, which was officially presented to Gall on Oct. 24 for her service to the University, honors the leadership of alumni and friends in securing philanthropic support for Penn State.
“Linda Gall has many talents which make her ideally suited to the unique demands of volunteer leadership,” said Rodney P. Kirsch, senior vice president for development and alumni relations. “She’s an extraordinary listener. She knows how to keep things fun. And yet, with quiet determination and serious purpose, she reminds everyone that it’s not about her. It’s not about any of us. It’s about what we can do together.”
Gall served on the Campaign Executive Committee during For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students, which concluded June 30 and raised more than $2.188 billion for the University. As chairwoman of the stewardship committee for the campaign, Gall worked to ensure that Penn State donors were recognized appropriately for their contributions. Linda’s volunteer service has also benefited the Palmer Museum of Art and the Schreyer Honors College as well as numerous charitable organizations in the Centre Region.
“It’s been a true privilege to work alongside this incredibly talented, generous and collegial person,” said Martha Jordan, a former member of the Campaign Executive Committee and the current chairwoman of the Executive Committee of the Penn State Advisory Council on Philanthropy. “I can think of no more deserving recipient of this award than Linda Gall.”
Both graduates of Princeton University, Gall and her husband, Blake, have supported Penn State and the surrounding community since they moved to the region in the 1980s. Their scholarship support has benefited students in the Schreyer Honors College, the College of Arts and Architecture, the College of Education and Intercollegiate Athletics, among other areas. The Galls were named Penn State’s Renaissance Fund People of the Year in 2006 for their philanthropy and service to Penn State and the surrounding community.
“My For the Future experience was more rewarding that I could ever have imagined,” said Gall. “Together — as volunteers, staff members and Penn State supporters — we surpassed our historic $2 billion goal. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, ‘If I were asked what is the best thing one can expect in life, I would say — the privilege of being useful.’ Please accept my heartfelt thanks for the joy and privilege of being useful.”
Supporters like Gall are invaluable partners in fulfilling the University's land-grant mission of education, research and service. Private gifts from alumni and friends enrich the experiences of students both in and out of the classroom; expand the research and teaching capacity of faculty; enhance the University's ability to recruit and retain top students and faculty; and help to ensure that students from every economic background have access to a Penn State education. The University's colleges and campuses are now enlisting the support of alumni and friends to advance a range of unit-specific initiatives.