Seventh Annual "Pride of Our Nation… Pride of Our College" Exhibition to Open

November 2, 2017

The seventh annual "Pride of Our Nation… Pride of Our College" exhibition, a display of military photographs and memorabilia submitted each year by faculty, staff and students, opens on Thursday, Nov. 9 in the Marvin Library Learning Commons at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. The reception is open free to the public and the exhibition remains on view through Thursday, Dec. 7, the 76th anniversary of the United States entry into World War II.

"Pride of Our Nation… Pride of Our College" opens just two weeks after the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal of National Recognition finally was presented to the more than 260,000 Filipino and Filipino-American soldiers who served during World War II. The exhibition fittingly features a photograph of Davadilla de Dios, a Philippine Army Major who served with the U.S. Army Forces in the Far East under Gen. Douglas MacArthur. De Dios survived what now is known as the Bataan Death March in which 7,000 soldiers perished, but died in 1945 as a result of the brutal treatment he endured in the war. It took nearly 75 years for the Filipino soldiers, who fought and died alongside Americans in the Philippines, to gain official recognition for their contributions and sacrifice.

The exhibition is supported by a $5,000 donation to the Hudson Valley Community College Foundation from AllSquare Wealth Management of Albany, NY. Douglas Bauer, CEO, also announced an additional $10,000 donation to the SSG Derek J. Farley Memorial Veterans Support Fund, which will be used to purchase automotive and construction tools for eligible veterans who are enrolled in certain academic programs. Mr. Bauer is committed to advancing the awareness of our military members and services for veterans attending Hudson Valley. "It is so important to enable our veterans to gain a career in order to continue to be of service to our communities and our nation," he said.

Mr. Bauer will join college and foundation officials during a media event at 3 p.m. on Nov. 9 that also is open to the public.

"Pride of Our Nation… Pride of Our College," a collaborative effort on the part of employees from several departments, is an ever-changing collection of official and family photographs and memorabilia of veterans and active military service members with a connection to the college, according to Alice Malavasic, associate professor in the Department of History, Philosophy and Social Sciences.

The exhibition is free and open during regular hours in the Marvin Library: Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; closed Sunday and Wednesday, Nov. 22 through Sunday, Nov. 26 when the college is closed for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

More information about the exhibition is available by contacting Debby Gardner at (518) 629-8071 or d.gardner@hvcc.edu.

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Founded in 1953, Hudson Valley Community College offers more than 85 associate degree and certificate programs in four schools: Business; Engineering and Industrial Technologies; Health Sciences; and Liberal Arts and Sciences, and an Educational Opportunity Center for academic and career training. One of 30 community colleges in the State University of New York system, it has an enrollment of nearly 11,500 students, and is known as a leader in distance learning initiatives and workforce training. Hudson Valley has more than 75,000 alumni.

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