Tag Archive for: Cornell Hotel Society

Richard Nelson ‘57

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Legendary Hotelie Richard (Dick) Copeland Nelson ’57 passed on November 22, 2021 after a long struggle with Parkinson’s Disease.

Dick had a long and impactful career in the hospitality industry.  After graduating Cornell Dick worked with Hilton where he spent 15 years in management positions around the country.  He departed Hilton as General Manager of the Statler Hilton (Capital Hilton) in Washington, DC.  He joined Hyatt in 1972 to become the first GM of the Hyatt Regency in downtown Houston.  He retired in 1996 as Vice President / Management Director of the Grand Hyatt Washington, a 900-room property he opened in 1987.

After leaving the industry, Dick returned to Ithaca to serve as Executive in Residence.  During the Spring of 1997, Dick counseled graduate students.

In 1997, Dick also began his term as Global President of the Cornell Hotel Society.  During his tenure as CHS President, Dick coordinated Hotel School 75th anniversary celebrations around the world.

Dick shared his knowledge and passion for the industry by serving Chairman of the Board of the American Hotel and Lodging Association in 1991.  He also held leadership positions within the DC Hotel & Motel Association, DC Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Greater Washington Society of Association Executives, and the American Hotel & Lodging Association Educational Institute.

Dick is survived by his wife, and omnipresent CHS event companion, Stella Guerra Nelson, two sisters-in-laws, and multiple nieces and nephews.

To honor Dick, CHS encourages donations be made to the Richard C. and Stella G. Nelson Scholarship which was established by Dick and Stella in 2010.  Income from this fund provides undergraduate scholarship support for Hispanic American students with an interest in hotel operations enrolled in the Hotel School.  Information on donating can be found on the following website:

https://sha.cornell.edu/alumni/giving/existing-funds/scholarships/

 

Message from CHS President – Bill Minnock ’79, MBA ’83

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Bill Minnock ’79, MBA ’83 – CHS President 2018

Dear Hotelies:

It is an honor to serve as the President of the Cornell Hotel Society for 2018.  I am privileged to work with a terrific team of passionate Hotelies on the Board including First Vice President Dexter Wood ’87, Second Vice President Anna Chung ’03, Treasurer Susan Wood ’87, Secretary Rick Adie ’75 and past President Cheryl Boyer ’87.   It is an exciting year as we are celebrating the 90th Anniversary of the Cornell Hotel Society this year.

So what are the priorities for CHS in its 90th year?  There are five key priorities that we will focus on this year:

–     Alumni engagement – there are 53 chapters around the world holding hundreds of events that are attended by thousands of alumni.  The Board’s job is to support chapter efforts to help them be successful.  This year, we are introducing a new tradition – the celebration of the formation of CHS.  Our goal is to have every chapter hold an event on May 12 to celebrate the 90th Anniversary.

–     Collegiate Chapter – the collegiate chapter welcomes new students and hosts a number of events during the year.  They are instrumental in preparing Alumni Conversations, which are included on the CHS website and on Social Media.

–     Fundraising – Did you know that the CHS and its Chapters have provided scholarships to the school amounting to almost $5M?  This year, CHS will donate $50,000 to the Scholarship Fund and in partnership with the CHS Foundation, will fund the Hotelie for Life® Award for a graduating senior.

–     Faculty Roadshow – having faculty and staff attend Chapter events, keeping the connections strong.

–     Support Dean Walsh’s agenda – as the second alumnus to be Dean of the Hotel School, one of her key priorities is to extend the school’s alumni outreach and continue leveraging the synergy between alumni, faculty, students and staff.  At the same time, the school is focused on realizing the benefits derived from being part of the larger College of Business.  We will continue to support these efforts throughout the year.

CHS is able to accomplish these goals through the dues contributed by alumni.  Almost half our dues are used for scholarship and another third are used to support chapter events.  We greatly appreciate your support of our efforts.  The link to pay dues is presented below.

2018 will be a robust year with many exciting events. The 93rd Hotel Ezra Cornell: A Sense of Place is scheduled for March 15-18 in Ithaca. The General Meeting of CHS will be held on March 16 from 4:30-6:00 pm.  If you cannot attend in person, the event will be streamed for you.  The Asia Pacific regional meeting is April 5-8 in Mumbai, and the Europe, Middle East, and Africa regional meeting is June 21-24 in Ljubljana.  As you travel throughout the year, be sure to check the CHS calendar of events.  Our chapters are always happy to welcome visitors!  For a full calendar of CHS events please visit:

https://sha.cornell.edu/alumni/connect/events

Communication of events and updates from the school is an important way for us to stay connected.  Last year we formed a Communications Committee which includes our Treasurer, Susan Wood, past President Robert Mandelbaum ’81, Andrea Foster ’96, Lindy Paz ’07 and Ali Hoyt ’13.  Links to our social media sites are presented below.

Join our NEW LinkedIn Group

We are fortunate to have the extraordinarily dedicated regional and chapter leaders supporting the efforts of CHS.  Our efforts are supported by the staff of the SHA Office of Alumni Affairs and Development.  Assisting us are Meg Hardie Keilbach ’88, Julie Pizzuti MPS ’06, and Nickie Fredenburg.  We are also fortunate to work with Professor Cheryl Stanley ’00 who is the liaison with the CHS collegiate chapter, led by Michael Baldyga ‘19, and CHS Foundation Chair Tim Dick ‘88.

Let’s make the 90th anniversary of CHS an awesome year for alumni engagement.  There are so many ways to be involved with the school, faculty, students, and staff in the classroom or in research.  Attend an event or hire a fellow alumni.

CHS is where we belong!  We are all Hotelies for Life®!

Yours in service,

Bill Minnock ‘79, MBA ’83