ADRIAN, Mich. – Spring commencement at Adrian College is scheduled for 3 P.M. on Sunday, May 1, 2011 on the Mall at the center of campus.
The traditional Baccalaureate ceremony is scheduled in Herrick Chapel, located on the College campus off of Charles St., at 10:30 A.M. Dr. Jennifer Ellsworth, assistant professor in the accountancy and business administration department, has been chosen by the senior class to be this year’s faculty speaker at the baccalaureate service.
Mrs. Carol Van Andel, Executive Director of the David and Carol Van Andel Foundation of Grand Rapids, Michigan, is this year’s commencement speaker and will receive an honorary degree. During commencement, Charles F. Baer ’59 and Harold D. Craft ’61 will also be presented with honorary degrees for their exceptional support of Adrian College and their leadership in the community.
Charles F. Baer, a 1959 graduate of Adrian College, retired in 1998 from Becton Dickinson & Co. as president of their Worldwide Diabetes Care and Consumer Products. He has since served the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in leadership roles and continues to support the association and research foundation.
Baer started his career as a sales representative with W.H. Rorer Inc., a pharmaceutical company, and later served as senior vice president/general manager of consumer products and was named president of their Kremers-Irwin Division. He then joined Becton Dickinson and was introduced to diabetes care products. Through learning about the needs of customers, he connected with the American Diabetes Association and joined the local chapter.
After retiring from Becton Dickinson, Baer served as national ADA chairman for four years. As a result, Baer was involved in diabetes organizations world-wide to bring education, healthcare and funding for patients in developing countries as well as to local migrant workers in California.
He presently serves on the diabetes advisory board for The Eisenhower Medical Center and continues to help the ADA and International Diabetes Foundation’s efforts. He was awarded the “Man of the Year” and The Charles F. Baer Distinguished Community Service Award, now an ongoing award to recognize those who devote significant service to bring awareness and education about diabetes.
Baer has hosted alumni in the Palm Springs, Calif., area and is a devoted trustee, serving for a second time since 2007. He is a member of the SAE fraternity, received the College’s Distinguished Alumni Award and has been a generous donor over the years to a variety of projects and student support objectives.
Baer grew up in Flint, Mich. He earned a B.S. from Adrian College and did graduate work in zoology and in business before embarking on his career. Chuck and his wife Shirley, his high school sweetheart and now married 53 years, divide their time between Pennsylvania and California. They have four grown children, including alumnus Mark Baer ’83, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Harold D. Craft, a 1961 graduate of Adrian College, is president of Craft-Barresi Consultants, Ltd., a firm he founded with business partner Frank T. Barresi in 1974. The firm is engaged in the general practice of human resources, offering a full range of employee and labor relations’ services throughout North America, in union and non-union facilities for a diverse client base from manufacturing to energy providers.
Aside from a very successful business, Craft has been a volunteer, mentor and donor for youth programs that support education and leadership development. His early experience working with troubled children at the Methodist Children’s Village and with street gangs through the Boys Club, influenced his life path. He also served for several years with the non-profit Houston Livestock and Rodeo organization which funds children’s educational programs.
From Adrian College, Craft received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1990 and was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007 for tennis and track and field. He has since funded the Craft Tennis Complex in honor of his parents, Lorrayne and Lilbourn Craft.
A true loyal alumnus and ATO fraternity member, Craft has served the College in many ways including as a trustee since 2006. In recent years, his passion for the fraternity led him to enthusiastically and strategically engage ATO alumni brothers to fund the renovation of Cornelius House. The beautifully renovated house reopened in January of this year and became home to 13 active members of the ATO fraternity for the spring semester.
Craft grew up in Royal Oak, Michigan, and earned a B.A. from Adrian College and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration with emphasis on individual behavior and group dynamics from the University of Michigan. Craft has spent the last several years dividing his time between Michigan, Texas, and Colorado and now resides in Arizona.
Following the conferral of degrees to this year’s graduates, the College will hold its Cane Ceremony, an Adrian College tradition dating back to 1875. During the ceremony, the graduating class presents the College’s beloved Shepherd’s Crook to the undergraduates as a symbol of achievement and a transfer of responsibility. Before passing the crook, the president of the graduating class attaches a ribbon bearing the name of each class member.
