STONY BROOK, N.Y., May 11, 2006—Stony Brook University announced today that it raised $3.2 million at its annual “Stars of Stony Brook” Gala held last week. The figure—a record for the event—includes a surprise announcement of a $1 million gift made that night by the children of Erwin Staller, who was honored at the event along with his son, Cary. The Gala, which attracted leading figures from the corporate and academic fields, was held May 3 at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in New York City.
More than 500 attended the event at which the Stallers were lauded by Stony Brook President Shirley Strum Kenny and Stony Brook Foundation Board Chair Richard L. Gelfond for their generous support of the University. The children of Erwin Staller and his wife, Pearl—Cary, Jan, and Eric, and daughter Kim Macari—announced that their gift would endow a scholarship fund in the names of their parents.
“We were so happy to honor Erwin and Cary Staller, who have played such an important role at Stony Brook,” said President Kenny, noting that the University will begin the celebration of its 50th anniversary beginning in the Fall, 2006. “It’s a time for Stony Brook to look ahead, but also a time to look back with gratitude for the extraordinary generosity of the Staller family.”
The Stallers’ gift and the funds which were raised at the Gala come as Stony Brook is conducting a $300 million capital campaign, the first such effort in its history. Over $165 million of the target amount has already been raised.
Stony Brook and the Staller family have a long history together. Thanks to the generosity of the Stallers, the University’s fine arts center was named in honor of Max and Mary Staller in 1988. Their son, Erwin, has been a member of the Stony Brook Foundation Board of Trustees since 1983, and in 2001 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Stony Brook in honor of his generosity and service to the University. Cary Staller, their grandson, has led the Board of Directors of the Staller Center for the Arts, and in 1998 he was elected to the Stony Brook Foundation Board of Trustees.
Stony Brook will begin its formal celebration of its 50th Anniversary in the coming academic year. The University was established in 1957 as a college for teachers of mathematics and science; the first campus was located at Oyster Bay, Long Island, on the grounds of Planting Fields, a former Gold Coast estate. In 1962, a new campus was built in Stony Brook, on land donated in large part by local philanthropist Ward Melville. Part of the State University of New York system, Stony Brook now has 22,000 students and recognized as one of the nation’s important centers of education and research.
A member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, the invitation-only organization of the best research universities in the country, Stony Brook has been ranked as one of the top research universities in the world by the London Times.
