Larry McHugh awarded for contributions to higher education

Larry McHugh was recognized for his leadership of Connecticut's state universities at the Marriot Hotel in Boston on Friday night.

Locals know Larry for his 21 years as the coach of Xavier's football team, followed by his 26 years (and counting) as the president of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce. When Larry joined the Chamber in 1983, there were 282 members - now there are 2,400, making it one of the fastest growing chambers in the country.

In his spare time, Larry also spent the last dozen years as chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Connecticut State University System, which oversees 4 colleges including Central, Eastern, Southern and Western. That's what led the New England Board of Higher Education to choose Larry for their David C. Knapp Award for Trusteeship. I know that the state universities are a significant trainer of teachers for our local schools, and sure enough, the CSUS website confirmed that 35% of their graduates are in education, followed by large numbers in the business and social service majors. In other words, the graduates of these colleges have a big impact on our quality of life here in Middletown!

For the roadtrip to the Boston awards, some local folks went to cheer Larry on, including my spouse Mark Masselli, Wilfredo Nieves from Middlesex Community College, Arlene Mazzotta, Larry Marino, Jim Cama, Steve Gorss, Al Hamrah, Joan Wood and Michael Price from the Goodspeed Opera House. Also in the group were Senator Don Williams, Senator Eileen Daily, and Senator Jonathan Harris (whose mom also won an award.) Of course, Larry's wife Patty and granddaughter Chelsea were there too.

Here's what Mark had to say about the event:
Larry gave an inspirational speech, noting that more than any other asset, New England has intellectual power - other regions might have other resources, but this is our great strength and we need to protect that resource in this downturn. So those of us who are committed to higher education have to stand up and say so!

Congratulations Larry!


Larry pictured with Michael Price and Mark Masselli