Celebrating our history - Harrisburg Academy

McCormick Medalist puts lifelong beliefs into action
Blair Trogner didn’t have the benefit of a
continuous grade-school educational setting.
The real estate developer and investor
attended six schools as a child and moved
a dozen times. But at Westminster College,
where he earned a B.A. in history and
master’s in education, Trogner became a
lifelong believer in small liberal arts schools
– and his family’s choice of Harrisburg
Academy confirmed his belief.
Trogner put his belief into action through
dedicated leadership and meritorious service
to the Academy. Now the Academy has
honored Trogner with its highest award, the
McCormick Medal.
A trustee emeritus, Trogner served on
the Board of Trustees from 1989-97. He
has served on the Harrisburg Academy
Foundation Board since its inception in
March 2005. He is also a member of the
Community Advisory Board.
“Blair provided expert advice to the
Academy Board of Trustees during the
expansion of the facilities in the 1990s,” said
Randy St. John, a fellow Board member and
last year’s McCormick Medalist. “Whenever
we needed guidance about whether to stay
on our present campus or to consider moving
elsewhere, Blair was the go-to person for
solid, reliable information.”
He put his real estate knowledge to
good use by serving on the construction
committee with John Davis before joining
the Board. “With John’s passing, I worked
closely with John’s firm to finish the building
expansion project,” Trogner said. “By that
time, I was off the Board but had come back
to be on the Foundation for Learning fundraising
committee.”
The expansion resulted in room for two
sections of each class; expanded library, art
and music facilities; and additional office and
meeting spaces.
“The Upper School students were able to
feel more like there was an Upper School,
because they had their own wing,” Trogner
explained. Curricular changes, under Head
of School Greg Morgan, led to a Blue
Ribbon designation for the Upper School
in 1993.
The improvements and the endorsements
by various organizations “enabled people to
take pride in the school, and gave everyone
the feeling that things were being done
well,” Trogner said. “Jim and the current
administration are building on that greatly
and have taken the school to new heights.
The fact that alumni parents come back [as
volunteers] when the kids are long gone is
impressive.”
“Blair Trogner has it all,” said Bonnie
Stevenson, co-vice president of the Board
with Trogner from 1991-94 and a fellow
McCormick Medalist. “In addition to his
warm, engaging personality and contagious
sense of humor, Blair brings strong business
principles and sound judgment to all his
endeavors. He is a caring, conscientious,
well-respected member of the Harrisburg
community and has been a staunch advocate
for the Academy in all he has done.”
Trogner is motivated to volunteer by his
gratitude for what teachers did to meet his
two sons’ individual educational needs. At
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Academy News
the Academy, he said, teachers worked with
Blair, Jr. ’93 and Curt ’95 one-on-one and
“set the bar for their achievement based on
what they thought each could achieve.”
Trogner currently serves on the Ned Smith
Center Board of Trustees and architectural
review committee and on the Lemoyne
Municipal Authority. A Harrisburg Rotary
Club member and Paul Harris fellow, he’s
been involved in numerous realtor and
developer organizations and in scouting. He
Trogner family members, from left, Curt ’95, Lisa, Candie, McCormick Medalist Blair, Sr.,
John, and Roni gather on Founders Day. Photo by Michael Barrett
enjoys fishing and skiing and was a U.S. Ski
Association race official when his children
were in ski racing.
He sees the Academy as continually
improving. “The growth of the endowment
is one of the real strengths of this small
school,” Trogner said. “That’s why
it’s a pleasure to be involved with the
Foundation.”