Two individuals and a foundation will be inducted into the Hastings College Pro Rege Society at the 11th annual dinner and induction ceremony at Lochland Country Club, Hastings, Neb., Thursday, April 26.

 Membership in the Pro Rege Society is the highest non-academic recognition that Hastings College bestows.

 The 2007 inductees are Charles R. Hermes and John “Jack” C. Osborne, both from Hastings, Neb.; and the Armstrong McDonald Foundation, based in Tucson, Ariz.

 Criteria for selection may include, but is not limited to, extraordinary service to Hastings College, significant philanthropic contributions and/or unusual commitment to the college over an extended period of time.

 The evening begins at 6:30 p.m., and includes a dinner, tributes by the Hastings College Music Department and the induction ceremony. Call (402) 461-7363 by Wednesday, April 18, to make reservations.

 Charles R. Hermes has devoted countless hours to Hastings College. A member of the Hastings College Board of Trustees for 27 years, he served as chair of the Planning Committee and was a member of the Executive Committee and Budget and Finance Committee. Hermes was a trustee for the Nebraska Independent College Foundation Board and served as first president of the Hastings College Crimson Connection, a community booster organization whose membership has grown to more than 900 families since its 1986 inception.

A strong financial supporter of the college, Hermes spearheaded the McCormick Hall Fund Drive to restore the 1883 classroom building. He also chaired and served on the campaign committee for the college’s annual community fund-raising drive. 

Hermes, president of Dutton-Lainson Company since 1974, is a vital member of the Hastings community. His leadership roles include serving as a director of Highland Realty Corporation, American Hardware Manufacturers Association, and Hardware Group Association. He is a director of the Omaha branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and a trustee for The Spotts Trust and Agnes Rosella Chapman Trust. 

Hermes is a former director of the National Association of Manufacturers, Liberty Distributors, National Wholesale Hardware Association, Hastings Chamber of Commerce, Heritage Bank, Junior Achievement, and Aliant Communications. He was also an Ak-Sar-Ben Ambassador.

Originally from Arapahoe, Neb., Hermes graduated from Hastings College in 1965. He was a track and football athlete and president and vice president of his class.

Hermes and his wife, Margaret (Lainson), also a Hastings College graduate, have
a daughter and son-in-law, Stephanie and Mark Bliss; a son and daughter-in-law, William and Amy Hermes; and two granddaughters. Charles and Margaret Hermes are members of First Presbyterian Church.

John “Jack” C. Osborne, president and owner of Industrial-Irrigation Services, has followed in his family’s footsteps as a loyal friend and tireless supporter of Hastings College. For 12 years, Osborne was a member of the Hastings College Board of Trustees, serving on the Budget and Finance Committee and Building and Grounds Committee. In 1986, he volunteered to serve on the inaugural board of Crimson Connection, a booster club initiated by Dr. Thomas Reeves, former president of Hastings College.

Osborne was a member and officer of the Hastings College Alumni Association and volunteered his efforts for the college’s annual community fund-raising drive. In 1990, he was inducted into the Hastings College Athletic Hall of Fame and now serves on the selection committee. The sports complex, completed at Hastings College in 2000, is named in honor of the Osborne family.

Osborne is one of 26 family members who graduated from, attended, taught at, or served as trustees of Hastings College. His father, Charles, and grandfather Tom were Hastings College trustees. His brother Thomas recently joined the Board.  

A lifetime resident of Hastings, Neb., Osborne graduated from Hastings College in 1963. A letterman in football and track, he was captain of the football team, and until 2005, he held the school’s long jump record. A former member of the Army National Guard, Osborne was a teacher and coach for four years. He also followed the rodeo circuit for one year, riding broncos and bulls. 

Actively involved in the Hastings community, Osborne is a member of the Hastings Community Foundation Board and Heritage Bank Board, and is a director of the Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital Trust and Midwest Holding.

Osborne served on the boards of the Hastings Museum, Hastings Museum Foundation, City National Bank and Trust, National Bank of Commerce, First Commerce Bank Shares, Inc., Nebraska State Historical Society, Salvation Army and Hastings Chamber of Commerce.

Osborne and his wife, Pamela, reside in Hastings, Neb., and are members of First Presbyterian Church. They have a son, Justin, and daughter-in-law, Allison.  

The Armstrong McDonald Foundation has a long association with Hastings College dating back to 1953. The foundation, incorporated in 1986 by Future Hurley McDonald and J. M. McDonald, III, resulted from a split of the J. M. McDonald Foundation, founded in 1952 in Hastings, Neb., where corporate offices of the J. M. McDonald Company were located.  J. M. McDonald, Sr., started his foundation with stock from the company and the original grants were made in fall of 1952. Hastings College received its first grant of $1,000 in 1953, and has been the recipient of multiple grants from both foundations since that time.

  The Armstrong McDonald Foundation gifts to Hastings College have followed the foundation's mission of carrying on the philanthropic ideals and goals of J. M. McDonald, Sr.  In that regard, the grant focus has been on projects that benefit the college's student body, such as SMART Boards, funding assistance with the Osborne Family Sports Complex, and other classroom technologies.  Recently, the foundation completed a multiple-year renovation project of Hurley-McDonald Hall, including a new roof, windows, elevator, mortar repair and office refurbishing.  J. M. McDonald, Jr., and Future Hurley McDonald personally donated to the constructions costs of the building in 1962.

  In addition to educational gifts, the Armstrong McDonald Foundation, now incorporated in Arizona, offers financial support in the areas of health, relief and social needs and for research into the reproduction of endangered species. 

The foundation is represented by Michael and Laurie Bouchard, Tucson, Ariz. Laurie has been a trustee since 1987, and was elected president in 2000.  Mike is also an officer and has been a trustee since 1994.  The Bouchard’s children, Ryan Bouchard and Corby Lust are trustees, along with Todd McDonald. 
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