Six Circles Receive Maurice A. Clay Grants page - Omicron Delta ...

THE CIRCLE ®
Winter 2006
Society secretary Barb Snyder
and Foundation President
William R. Johnston admire the
oil portrait of ODK’s founders
in the National Headquarters
in Lexington, KY.
2006-2007 2006-2007
Recipients Recipients of
Maurice
A. Clay
Leadership
Development
Initiative Initiative
Grants
Foundation President Meets with
ODK ® Staff
Continued from page 5
As ODK ® works to provide leadership
opportunities for its members and educate
them about philanthropy and community
service, those members are precisely
the types of college graduates that
nonprofit organizations will seek to fill
positions on their boards. Many times
the invitation to serve will come shortly
after completing their degree. Often,
first-time board members experience a
steep learning curve after accepting the
position and do not fully understand
their roles. Because of this felt-need
to improve nonprofit governance and
prepare individuals for board positions,
CLT2 was born.
Johnston’s advice to the younger
generation is this: “Get a broad
education and be open to a variety
of experiences. Most employers will
teach you whatever you need to know.”
Beyond that, he says, “‘your word is
your bond’ -- it’s an old Wall Street
expression.” Ethics, honor and integrity are
something you cannot buy. That’s one of
the reasons Johnston is so passionate about
college students. “It’s the responsibility of
a college to provide the ethical training that
18-22 year-olds need to be successful in the
world. While colleges cannot be cops and
oversee everything they do, they can provide
a forum to talk about the things a student may
face in the next four years,” he shares.
e • f
As a testament to his loyalty
and dedication, the Maurice A.
Clay Leadership Development
Initiative was established to provide
financial support to individual Circles who
sponsor specific programs designed to
enhance leadership development on their
campus and community.
This year’s winners are:
University of Alabama
University at Albany
East Carolina University
Emmanuel College (Georgia)
University of Richmond
Samford University
“ODK ® has the wonderful job of bringing
together campus leaders and instilling in
them a moral code for the work they are
going to do and their involvement in their
communities after college--that it doesn’t
just end when you walk across the stage at
graduation. There’s value in making an
effort to get out there and serve the
communities and cultures that don’t have the
same advantages that we have,” he says.
Johnston remains happily married to his
wife Betsy of 44 years. They are the very
proud parents of two grown children and
the grandparents of two “extraordinary”
grandchildren. Betsy also devotes much of
her time and energy to many philanthropic
agencies and is very involved with her
Diocese and church. They both are
passionate about providing opportunities
for young people to grow and develop into
successful members of the community.
“The best advice I can give anyone about
life is to find a job you can be passionate
about and find a person that you can be
passionate with. I’ve had a lot of partners in
Wall Street, but my wife is the best partner
I’ve ever had,” he says.
The Iota Circle at the University of Alabama has
been awarded a Clay Grant for expansion of their
Living Legend program. At the 2006 Living Legend
reception held on October 5th, Mr. Thomas P.
Davis was the recipient of the 2006 Living Legend
Award and was honored at this reception. He is
pictured with the first two winners of the Living
Legend award, Dr. Morris Mayer (1995) (seated),
and Mr. Melford Espy, left, (1996).