While entertaining parents and friends during Family and Fallcoming Weekend from Sept. 27–29, Hamilton also welcomed its alumni back to the Hill with reunions, celebrations, and talks with College President Wippman. The Office of Alumni Relations, in conjunction with other College offices, organized various events for alumni including President Wippman’s State of the College address, musical performances, sports games, and information sessions.
Among these events, alumni also took the time to reconnect and recognize each other for their significant contributions to Hamilton, specifically through the Jeff Little ’71 Volunteer of the Year Award. This award, named in honor of trustee and alumnus Jeff Little, recognizes a former Hamilton student, parent, or friend of the College whose volunteering has made a substantial impact.
This year, the honor went to Andy Burns ’78, an alumnus with a long, storied history in Clinton. As the twelfth person in his family to attend Hamilton, Burns has spent much of his life involved with the College, from going up the Hill to attend football and hockey games as a child, to studying on campus as an undergrad, and finally, contributing to the College’s programs as an alumnus.
After his graduation, Burns founded Kirkland Ventures, an organization that brought together the College and surrounding businesses to promote and stimulate local economic growth. Burns also focused his efforts on significant non-profit pursuits, perhaps most notably through the creation of Hamilton’s Town-Gown Fund, which donates to Clinton schools and various non-profit organizations in the local community.
Last year, the Town-Gown fund awarded the John G. Karin Kirkland Town Park $16,000 for improvements and new equipment. The park was one of eight local recipients of the Town-Gown Fund’s yearly donation. Since its creation in 2001, the Fund has donated over $843,000 to 23 different public service and non-profit organizations in the greater town of Kirkland.
As a lifelong hockey fan, Burns’s contributions to the sport have resonated not just throughout Hamilton College but the broader community. In addition to spending hundreds of hours of researching hockey and its role in building relationships between the College and the community, Burns played a pivotal part in organizing the 100 Years of Hamilton Hockey celebration last year. Furthermore, Burns, along with other volunteers, brought together both Hamilton College and Clinton community members to catalyze Clinton’s successful bid for the title of Kraft Hockeyville USA last year.
Though he no longer lives in Clinton, Burns has remained steadfast in his devotion to Hamilton. He maintains connections with the multiple organizations he founded to enhance community relationships, including the Town-Gown Fund and Alumni Council, and he takes part in a number of campus programs through the Career Center and reunion committees. In North Carolina, where he currently resides with his wife Julia, he has opened up his home to traveling Hamilton sports teams, Alternative Spring Break volunteers, and members of musical groups.
Burns often expresses his gratitude to the College for his liberal arts education and for the lifelong friendships he has gained over his years involved with the school; the Jeff Little ’71 Volunteer of the Year Award is meant to reciprocate such gratitude and to thank Burns for his ongoing commitment and contributions to the College.
