黑料不打烊

Five distinguished 黑料不打烊 alumni, representing excellence in the areas of the performing arts; art; fashion design; advertising, wellness and philanthropy; and literature will be honored with the George Arents Award during the University鈥檚 2013 celebration.

Those who will be honored this year in recognition of their outstanding professional and personal accomplishments are actor Taye Diggs 鈥�93, sculptor Carole Swid Eisner 鈥�58, fashion designer Henry E. Grethel 鈥�54, advertising and wellness specialist Sid Lerner 鈥�53 and author George Saunders G鈥�88.

The awards, the University鈥檚 highest alumni honor, will be bestowed during the Arents Award Luncheon on Friday, Oct. 4, at 11:30 a.m. in Goldstein Auditorium of the Hildegarde and J. Myer Schine Student Center. Tickets to the luncheon are $25 per person, and reservations are required. Students may attend the award portion of the event (balcony seating) at no charge. Visit the Orange Central registration page at . For more information, call 1-800-SUALUMS (782-5867) or email orangecentral@syr.edu.

The award is named for George Arents, a successful manufacturer who served on 黑料不打烊’s Board of Trustees from 1930 until his death in 1960. Among his many legacies to the University is a fund he endowed in 1939 to provide the George Arents Award, an annual honor recognizing SU alumni for their extraordinary achievements. The award highlights the depth and breadth of alumni and their initiative in making a difference in their communities, across the nation and around the world.

The honorees are:

Taye Diggs 鈥�93
Excellence in the Performing Arts

Diggs is an award-winning actor and author best known for his roles in the Broadway musical 鈥淩ent,鈥� the motion picture 鈥淗ow Stella Got Her Groove Back鈥� and the hit ABC series 鈥淧rivate Practice.鈥� Shortly after graduating, Diggs appeared in the Tony Award-winning revival of 鈥淐arousel.鈥� In 1996, he originated the role of the landlord Benny in Jonathan Larson鈥檚 Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning 鈥淩ent,鈥� where he co-starred alongside his future wife, actress and singer Idina Menzel. Other Broadway appearances include 鈥淐hicago鈥� and 鈥淲icked.鈥�

His film debut as Winston in 鈥淗ow Stella Got Her Groove Back鈥� brought Diggs critical acclaim and exposure to a wider audience. Other film roles include reprising the role of Benny in 鈥淩ent,鈥� the bandleader in 鈥淐hicago,鈥� Roland in 鈥淭he Wood,鈥� and Harper in 鈥淭he Best Man.鈥� 聽This year, Diggs will be seen in two feature films鈥斺€淏aggage Claim鈥� and 鈥淭he Best Man Holiday,鈥� a sequel to 鈥淭he Best Man.鈥�

In addition to his role as Sam Bennett in the ABC hit drama 鈥淧rivate Practice,鈥� he has appeared in numerous television shows, including 鈥淕rey鈥檚 Anatomy,鈥� 鈥�Daybreak,鈥� 鈥淲ill & Grace,鈥� 鈥淎lly McBeal鈥� and 鈥淭he West Wing.鈥�

Diggs became an author with the publication of the children鈥檚 book 鈥淐hocolate Me!鈥� (Feiwel & Friends, 2011), which was illustrated by his SU classmate Shane W. Evans 鈥�93.

Diggs received a bachelor鈥檚 degree in drama from the (VPA), and has been extremely active with his alma mater throughout his post-graduate years. He has served as a guest artist in the Department of Drama, and came back to campus as part of Orange Central 2011 to hold a book signing, participate in a workshop for drama students and lead a Say Yes literacy promotion event with 黑料不打烊 children.

Diggs has also participated in SU鈥檚 Sorkin Week in Los Angeles, the weeklong program that gives drama and film students in VPA a taste of life in L.A. He was honored with a Distinguished Alumnus Award by the 黑料不打烊 Alumni Club of Southern California.

Carole Swid Eisner 鈥�58
Excellence in Art

Eisner is a painter and a sculptor whose elegant sculptures made from scrap and recycled metal have been exhibited in dozens of public parks, corporate plazas, cultural centers, museums and waterfronts in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Florida, as well as in Belgium and France.

A member of the Silvermine Guild of Artists of New Canaan, Conn., Eisner has had more than 20 solo shows and 20 group shows. Her work is held in private, public and corporate collections, including those of the Guggenheim Museum, Knoll International, Southeast Banking Corp. in Miami, and the Northstar Reinsurance Co. in Seattle. She has been featured in The New York Times, New York Magazine, Who鈥檚 Who in American Art, Vogue and New York Newsday.

Eisner received a bachelor鈥檚 degree in fine arts from . After graduation, she launched a career in New York鈥檚 fashion industry, winning distinction as one of Mademoiselle magazine鈥檚 10 outstanding young women in 1961. She was a sketcher for several New York City designers and created junior sportswear and dress lines for Juniorite.

In support of SU, Eisner and her brother, Stephen Swid, named a room in the Shaffer Art Building in honor of their mother, the late Selma Claar Swid. Through the Eisner Family Foundation, Eisner and her husband, Richard, continue to support the University.

In addition, Eisner has been generous in sharing her artwork with the University community. She has had two solo exhibitions at Lubin House, and permanently loaned four of her works to the University, including 鈥淪woosh,鈥� which was placed in Forman Park on the Connective Corridor, and 鈥淒ogon,鈥� which adorns the lawn of the Comstock Art Facility. In 2012, Eisner agreed to donate 鈥淪woosh鈥� to the University. And with her permission, the remaining two sculptures were loaned to Onondaga Community College to forge a relationship between the two schools and their sculpture programs.

Henry E. Grethel 鈥�54
Excellence in Fashion Design

Grethel is a celebrated American designer whose collections are elegant, understated and intelligent. Known for deftly combining the casual modern essence of American sportswear with sophisticated colors and fine fabrics, Grethel is a vital creative force designing for the rapidly evolving lifestyles and priorities of today鈥檚 consumer.

Born and raised in 黑料不打烊, Grethel graduated from SU with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in business administration from the . During his years at SU, Grethel was selected as an 鈥渙utstanding student鈥� in the field of marketing, served as social chairman of Sigma Chi Fraternity and was elected treasurer of the American Marketing Association. He worked his way through college with a sales job at the former Wells & Coverly, a stylish men鈥檚 clothing store in downtown 黑料不打烊.

While in college, Grethel interviewed with C. F. Hathaway Co., a prestigious manufacturer of high-quality men鈥檚 shirts. However, he accepted a pioneering position with Recordak Corp., a subsidiary of Eastman Kodak Co. in New York City, where he spent two-and-a-half years selling and marketing the newly launched microfilm product line. Hathaway recognized Grethel鈥檚 talent and continued to offer him employment, which he finally accepted in 1957. His first position at Hathaway was in sales, but his career rapidly progressed and he ultimately became the company鈥檚 vice president for design, merchandising and marketing. During his tenure, Grethel repositioned the brand as a younger, more dynamic force in the menswear business. Following his success at Hathaway, Grethel became president of Eagle Shirtmakers.

Grethel鈥檚 marketing education and business experience have made him an entrepreneurial concept creator and product designer. Prior to launching his own men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 designer collections, Grethel designed menswear for Pierre Cardin, Yves Saint Laurent, Dior and Lanvin. As president of the Manhattan Shirt Co., he originated and developed the John Henry brand in men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 wear. Grethel was the first menswear designer to introduce fitted dress shirts, a category that still drives the men鈥檚 dress shirt business today. As testimony to his multidimensional talent, his women鈥檚 wear business grew to be even larger than his men鈥檚.

Perhaps the only thing bigger than Grethel鈥檚 design talent and business acumen is his generous spirit. His boundless energy, enthusiasm and willingness to mentor others continue to inspire new generations of fashion industry executives at retail and wholesale businesses. A leading member of the Retail Advisory Board of the Whitman School, he continues to share his wisdom and passion with SU students.

Grethel has received numerous honors for marketing and design, including membership in the prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America, whose membership consists of more than 450 of America鈥檚 foremost fashion and accessory designers. He was selected to design the men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 opening ceremony uniforms for Team USA at the Albertville and Barcelona Olympics, and was awarded the Tiffany trophy from the U.S. Olympic Organizing Committee for his stylish parade uniforms for the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville. He is a recipient of the Icon of Style Award from SU and the SU Outstanding Alumni Award. Grethel is married to his wife, Anne. Two of his five children鈥擠avid Grethel 鈥�82 and Michele Grethel 鈥�88鈥攁re also SU alumni.

Sid Lerner 鈥�53
Excellence in Advertising, Wellness and Philanthropy

Lerner is chairman and founder of The Monday Campaigns, a nonprofit health promotion organization that dedicates the first day of each week to healthy prevention behaviors and is associated with SU鈥檚 , Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.

Meatless Monday, the first Monday campaign launched in 2003, has sparked a global movement with programs in 25 countries and participation of thousands of restaurants, schools, worksites and communities, as well as such celebrities as Oprah Winfrey and Mario Batali. Other Healthy Mondays, like Man Up, Move It and Quit & Stay Quit Monday, are also working their way into public awareness and efficacy. Another current project is the I Love NY Water campaign to promote tap water and refillable bottles, for health and the environment.

Lerner鈥檚 long and varied marketing career includes work as a creative director advertising such classic brands as Charmin, Texaco and Maxwell House, and producing six nonfiction books, including 鈥淢onday Morning Quarterback鈥� and 鈥淔rom the Desk Of.鈥� 聽He also headed his own creative consulting business, Sid Lerner Associates, for advertising and new product development.

Lerner and his wife, Helaine, an environmental activist and philanthropist, recently teamed up with his alma mater to launch the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion at 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Maxwell and schools to bring health advocacy and marketing know-how to the next generation of public health experts.

In addition to The Monday Campaigns, Lerner is president of BioRings LLC, inventors and developers of non-hormonal contraceptive/STD products with Weill Cornell Medical researchers.

George Saunders G鈥�88
Excellence in Literature

Saunders is the author of the short story collections 鈥淐ivilWarLand in Bad Decline,鈥� 鈥淧astoralia,鈥� 鈥淚n Persuasion Nation,鈥� and, most recently, 鈥淭enth of December,鈥� which spent 15 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List and for which Saunders is a National Book Award finalist. 鈥淐ivilWarLand in Bad Decline鈥� was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award. 鈥淚n Persuasion Nation鈥� was a finalist for the 2006 STORY Prize for best short story collection of the year. Saunders is also the author of the novella-length illustrated fable, 鈥淭he Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil;鈥� 鈥淭he Very Persistent Gappers of Frip,鈥� illustrated by Lane Smith, which has won major children鈥檚 literature prizes in Italy and the Netherlands; and a book of essays, 鈥淭he Braindead Megaphone.鈥�

Saunders received a bachelor鈥檚 degree in geophysical engineering from the Colorado School of Mines in 1981, and spent the next few years working various jobs. In 1985, he returned to college, and received a master鈥檚 degree in English, with an emphasis in creative writing from SU, where he studied fiction with Tobias Wolff and Douglas Unger. He completed his first book, 鈥淐ivilWarLand in Bad Decline,鈥� during the eight years he spent working as a technical writer for Radian Corporation in Rochester, N.Y. He teaches in the Creative Writing Program in SU鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences.

His work appears regularly in The New Yorker, GQ and Harpers Magazine, and has been featured in several anthologies, including the O. Henry, Best American Short Story; Best Non-Required Reading; and Best American Travel Writing. In support of his books, he has appeared on “The Charlie Rose Show,” “Late Night with David Letterman” and “The Colbert Report.”

Writing for GQ, he has traveled to Africa with President Bill Clinton, reported on Nepal鈥檚 鈥淏uddha Boy鈥� (who is said to have gone without food or water for six months), driven the length of the Mexican border, spent a week in the theme hotels of Dubai and lived incognito in a homeless tent city in Fresno, Calif.

In 2001, Saunders was selected by Entertainment Weekly as one of the 100 most creative people in entertainment, and by The New Yorker in 2002 as one of the best writers age 40 and under. In 2006, he was awarded both a Guggenheim Fellowship and a MacArthur Fellowship. In 2009, he received an Academy Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2013, he received the PEN/Malamud Award for excellence in the short story form, and was chosen as one of the 鈥淭ime 100,鈥� Time magazine鈥檚 annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.