Ithaca College

Posted on behalf of President Tom Rochon

It is with a great deal of sadness that I share with the campus community the news that longtime friend and supporter of Ithaca College Dorothy Dent Park passed away this past Saturday, June 18, at the age of 103 at her home in Cayuga Heights.

I first want to extend my deepest condolences to her family, especially her daughter, Adelaide Gomer, and son, Roy H. Park Jr. The family has scheduled a celebration of her life for next Thursday, June 30, at 1:00 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, 315 N. Cayuga St. in Ithaca.

Dorothy’s late husband, Roy H. Park, was a longtime chair of the Ithaca College Board of Trustees. In recognition of his achievements as the founder of the media company Park Communications Inc., the Roy H. Park School of Communications was named in his honor in 1989. Adelaide has continued the family tradition of service and philanthropy, having first joined the board of trustees in 1996.

Dorothy had a special interest in programs that fostered education and the environment. Both personally and through the Park Foundation, she generously supported a number of such programs over the years, not only at Ithaca College but also in the local community and throughout the country.

She provided the lead gift and founding vision for a new home for our School of Business, the Dorothy D. and Roy H. Park Center for Business and Sustainable Enterprise, which was the first sustainably designed and LEED Platinum facility for an undergraduate business program in the nation.

Because it says so much about her priorities, I’d like to repeat a portion of what Dorothy said upon announcing her gift: “I am delighted to be able to contribute toward a building that houses not just a school, but also a way of thinking and being that exemplifies ethical business practices, an understanding of organizations as citizens in their communities, and the responsible use of natural resources.”

Other examples of Park Foundation support at the college include the Park Scholars Program, Park Center for Independent Media, Park Distinguished Visitor Series, Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival, and the media literacy program Project Look Sharp.

It is not just her financial generosity that made Dorothy so special to Ithaca College. We were also graced by her deep interest in the achievements of our students and faculty.

You can read more about her life and legacy here. I am confident that I speak for the entire campus community when I say that Dorothy Park will be greatly missed for her many contributions to helping make this college—and the world at large—a better place.

Tom Rochon
President