Athletic Department Gives Citizenship Award to William F. Fagan

May 20, 2016

William F. Fagan of Troy, a 1973 graduate of Hudson Valley Community College, was recently given the John L. Buono Award for Citizenship from the college's Athletic Department in recognition of his commitment to Hudson Valley and its student-athletes.

As a member of the college's Faculty Student Association Board of Directors, Fagan was instrumental in moving the soon-to-be constructed, $4.5 million Outdoor Athletic Complex from concept stage to development. In addition, he is a supporter of Hudson Valley's athletic teams, regularly attending home athletic contests.

The complex, which will include new state-of-the-art turf and natural grass fields, an eight-lane track, a concession and storage area, box office, grandstand seating and bleachers and an electronic scoreboard, is scheduled for completion in August 2016 to serve academic and athletic departments as well as community organizations and the general public.

Fagan is president of Wm. J. Fagan & Sons, Inc., an insurance agency in Troy. He has served on the FSA board since September 2010 and on the college's Board of Trustees since 2009. Previously, he was a member of the Hudson Valley Community College Foundation Board from 1994 to 2015.

"Bill Fagan is well known around the area as a proud alumnus and an advocate for Hudson Valley. He's certainly deserving of this honor, and we're extremely grateful for his decades of service to our college, the athletic program and to hundreds of student athletes," said Drew Matonak, president of Hudson Valley Community College.

While a student at Hudson Valley, Fagan was on the college's 1972 championship boxing team coached by Phil Brown. According to Brown, Fagan was one of the top Capital Region lightweight boxers in the early 1970s.

The Athletic Department's citizenship award is named for Hudson Valley's fifth president, John L. Buono who served from 1998 to 2003. An alumnus of the college, President Buono was a staunch supporter of the college's athletic program and its student-athletes.

***

Founded in 1953, Hudson Valley Community College offers more than 80 associate degree and certificate programs in four schools: Business; Engineering and Industrial Technologies; Health Sciences; and Liberal Arts and Sciences; and an Educational Opportunity Center for academic and career training. One of 30 community colleges in the State University of New York system, it has an enrollment of nearly 12,000 students, and is known as a leader in distance learning initiatives and workforce training. Hudson Valley has more than 75,000 alumni.