Donors who have included UCF and future Knights in their estate plans were honored at the annual Millican Society Luncheon, held on Friday, March 3, at UCF Global. Named for UCF’s founding president Charles N. Millican, the society has more than two hundred members who have made planned gift commitments to UCF.
Member Roger Pynn ’73, president of Curley & Pynn and chair of the Dean’s Advisory Board of the College of Sciences, spoke about the impact Dr. Millican had on him personally and on the university. The two met when Pynn was a reporter at the Orlando Sentinel. It was Millican who encouraged Pynn to attend the university, then called Florida Technological University (FTU).
“Charlie Millican left us with two statements about this university’s culture and level of commitment that we should never forget: reach for the stars, and accent on the individual,” Pynn said. “That accent and aspirational vision are why I see [giving a planned gift] as so important. It is important to maintain a commitment to his dream.”
Beryl Colbourn, wife of UCF’s second president, Dr. Trevor Colbourn, was honored as a special guest and thanked for the impact she and Dr. Colbourn, who passed away in 2015, made on the university. Among other successes, Colbourn suggested the university be renamed from FTU to UCF, to better reflect the university’s more diverse offerings.
Following a keynote speech by Dr. Cynthia Young, vice provost for Faculty Excellence and UCF Global, guests were treated to tours of the new UCF Global facility, the primary international hub for students, faculty and staff.