|
|
|
| Newman University Receives Gift from Cornejo Family for New Campus Plaza
|
|
Contact: Kelly Snedden
Director, Communications
316-942-4291, ext. 2164
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 10, 2008
Plaza Will Honor the Late Wichita Businessman Jess Cornejo
Newman University Receives Gift from Cornejo Family for New Campus Plaza
Wichita, Kan. – Newman University officials announced that the university has received a substantial gift from the Cornejo family of Wichita to create a new plaza on the Newman campus. The plaza will be named the Jess Cornejo Plaza in honor of the late founder of the Wichita business Cornejo & Sons, Inc.
“The plaza is named for my father as a tribute to the family and to him,” said Ron Cornejo, president and CEO of the Cornejo Corporation. “I give him a lot of credit for where this business and our family are today.”
|
(Seated from left) Josephine Cornejo; Dr. Noreen Carrocci, Newman University President; and Ron Cornejo. (Standing from left) Jerry Cornejo, Richard Cornejo, Marty Cornejo, Don Cornejo and Thomas Borrego, vice president for Institutional Advancement.
|
“We are extremely happy and honored to receive this generous gift,” said Newman President Noreen M. Carrocci, Ph.D. “The new plaza will be a beautiful and functional space that will tie our new Dugan Library and Campus Center to the surrounding buildings on campus. We can’t wait to see it.”
The Jess Cornejo Plaza will be part of a pedestrian mall project that will be constructed between the newly opened Dugan Library and Campus Center and the De Mattias Fine Arts Center/O’Shaughnessy Hall complex just south of Kellogg. The project will include a “Founders Plaza” honoring the university’s founders the Adorers of the Blood of Christ that will sit on the south side of De Mattias, as well as smaller patio areas and a winding path providing an appealing walking area for students, faculty, staff and visitors. The Jess Cornejo Plaza will serve as a formal outdoor gathering space for official university functions and other events such as concerts, fairs and meetings.
Work on the project is now underway and is expected to be completed by the end of the Spring 2008 semester. A formal dedication is scheduled as part of the festivities included in Newman University’s 75th anniversary celebration beginning Sept. 12, 2008.
The Cornejo Corporation is a closely held corporation specializing in concrete and asphalt paving, ready mix concrete, sand and gravel extraction, demolition and warehousing. In 1952 the late Jess Cornejo founded the company with one truck and a great deal of determination, leaving behind a legacy for the second generation of his sons to continue to prosper. It is one of Top 100 Hispanic-Owned Businesses in the Nation.
Jess Cornejo’s widow, Josephine, and all five of the family’s sons, Ron, Don, Richard, Jerry and Marty, work in the business.
“Newman University is extremely grateful for the support provided by the Cornejo family and their involvement with this project,” said Newman Vice President for Institutional Advancement Tom Borrego. “Mr. Cornejo was a man who knew what it meant to work hard, but also understood the importance of taking time to celebrate with family. How fitting it is for the university to have a wonderful gathering space named in his honor that will bring the Newman community together for years to come.”
|
|
Posted on Monday, March 10, 2008 (Archive on Thursday, January 01, 2009)
Posted by admin_schneiderl Contributed by admin_schneiderl
| | Return |
|
|
|
|