2014 Veterans Day Breakfast to spotlight RIT patriots

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A. Sue Weisler

The fourth annual RIT Veterans Day Breakfast will be held Nov. 11 in RIT’s Gordon Field House and Activities Center.

For Maj. Nicholas Graham, serving in the U.S. Army provided lessons for becoming a better leader.

“Before my last deployment to Afghanistan, my colonel would tell us, ‘You will have good days and you will have hard days, but you won’t have any bad days,’” said Graham. “It took me some time before I realized that he was telling us that as leaders we have to always be at our best, especially when everything is going wrong around us.”

Today, as the executive officer of RIT’s Army ROTC detachment, Graham is among a contingent of faculty, staff and students on campus with a history of service to our country’s armed forces. On Veterans Day, the university will take time to express its appreciation to these patriots.

On Nov. 11, RIT will host its fourth annual Veterans Day Breakfast, with Graham serving as emcee. The celebration, scheduled from 8 to 10 a.m. in the Gordon Field House and Activities Center, pays tribute to individuals who serve or have served honorably in uniform.

According to Barry Culhane, executive assistant to RIT President Bill Destler and chair of the event committee, RIT boasts a long history of accommodating the educational needs of returning veterans, dating back to the end of World War II.

“The breakfast is a way to acknowledge the service of all veterans affiliated with RIT and special guests from the Greater Rochester community who work to serve veterans every day,” Culhane said. “We are deeply grateful for those who protect our freedoms.”

Members of the campus community who have relatives serving in uniform will also be acknowledged at the celebration. The program includes the presentation of the colors, a history of the meaning of Veterans Day, a medley of the different service songs and a video about “A Day in the Life of a Veteran” created by RIT alumnus Stephen “Bud” Beikirch ’05 (film and animation).

All members of the campus community are invited to attend the Veterans Day recognition and celebration. For more information and to RSVP, contact Amanda Rubacha at 585-475-7500 or amrpro@rit.edu.