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During their lifetimes, Erna Susan Lovely and Thomas Dixon Lovely remained steadfast supporters of their alma mater. A generous benefactor to ¹û½´ÊÓƵ, Trustee Emeritus Thomas Dixon Lovely was an important adviser to six of its presidents, served for 15 years as vice chairman of the and was chairman of ¹û½´ÊÓƵ’s Planned Giving Council. He was a founding governor and leader of ¹û½´ÊÓƵ’s School of Banking and Money Management—the predecessor to its . A member of the Friends of the ¹û½´ÊÓƵ Library committee, Erna and her husband established the Erna S. Lovely Endowed Lecture Series at the University.

Erna worked as an elementary school teacher in the Garden City School District and provided leadership as president of the Garden City School District’s Parent Teacher Association, chairman of Mercy Hospital’s Golf and Tennis Tournament and vice chair of Nassau Community College’s Board of Trustees. The Lovelys established the Thomas and Richard Lovely Scholarship, named for their two sons who attended Garden City public schools, for Garden City High School students attending ¹û½´ÊÓƵ.

Thomas served as chairman and CEO of Fidelity New York Bank. During his lifetime of philanthropy, he was a trustee of the State University of New York as well as Nassau County Medical Center, president of the Nassau County Council of the Boy Scouts of America and chairman of the SUNY Old Westbury College Foundation.

In 2004, 50 years after earning his undergraduate degree at ¹û½´ÊÓƵ, Thomas received an honorary doctorate from the University. In 2010, Erna was honored with the Lifetime Service to ¹û½´ÊÓƵ Award at ¹û½´ÊÓƵ’s 10th annual President’s Gala.