- Betty Tomion With Community Foundation Officials
Betty J. Tomion, a St. Clair County Community College retiree, has donated $20,000 to the college’s “All Aboard: Campaign for Talent, Technology and Tomorrow,” and her donation has qualified for a $10,000 matching gift to the campaign. Tomion, 86, of Port Huron designated her one-time gift to the McMorran Greenway and Street Closure Project, making it eligible for a 50% match from the Community Foundation of St. Clair County. The Community Foundation will provide $10,000 to match Tomion’s gift, bringing the total gift to $30,000. SC4 and the SC4 Foundation launched the two-year, $1 million campaign Nov. 1 to raise money for student scholarships and five capital projects on the college’s Port Huron campus. The McMorran Greenway and Street Closure is one of the five projects. Tomion first came to SC4 as a part-time student, taking various classes after having graduated from the former Harper Hospital School of Nursing in Detroit. She went on to earn a bachelor of science degree in adult education from the University of Michigan-Flint and a master of arts degree in gerontology from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. A registered nurse, her career included time in office, hospital and operating room nursing. In the late 1960s, Tomion was hired by SC4 to run the former college health service. During her tenure at SC4, she taught high school nurse aide classes, worked as a practical nursing instructor and served for several years as nursing department chair. She retired in 1988. She and her husband, the late Sam Tomion, had four children, all of whom attended SC4 before transferring to four-year institutions. The McMorran Greenway and Street Closure Project will close McMorran Boulevard from Erie Street to River Street and River Street from McMorran Boulevard to Willow Street and turn them into a pedestrian walkway. As of April 30, $384,557, or 38%, already has been pledged or raised for the overall campaign. Of that amount, $14,904 is from the Community Foundation’s matching grant for the McMorran Greenway and Street Closure Project. The campaign includes these projects: McMorran Greenway and Street Closure; Natural Science Museum Expansion; Historical Restoration of Room 312, Main Building; Campus Innovation Center; Campus Signage; and student scholarships. For more information about the campaign, or to make a donation or pledge, visit www.sc4.edu/allaboard or contact David P. Goetze, SC4’s director of college advancement and alumni relations, at (810) 989-5761 or dpgoetze@sc4.edu.
