(Washington, D.C.) – Gordon and Marilyn Macklin, whose $1.26 million gift this year to Montgomery College helped to found the College’s newly launched Macklin Business Institute, are being recognized as a 1999 Benefactor of the Year by the American Association of Community College’s Council for Resource Development.

                Selected from hundreds of nominees at the more than 1,200 two-year colleges across the nation, the Macklins are among 10 regional benefactors behind honored by the Council this year. They will each receive their award at the Gala Benefactor Awards Banquet on Friday, November 5 at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C. The event will also feature the presentation of a special Outstanding Benefactor Award to actor/comedian Tom Arnold, a graduate and major supporter of Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Indiana.

                Gordon and Marilyn Macklin and the other 1999 benefactor honorees are being recognized “for showing our students the path to their future, guiding our institutions with strength and vision, and sharing a spirit of giving that leads us into the next century,” according to Kathleen Guy, 1999 CRD President. She added that each of the recipients “demonstrate the partnership that community colleges have with corporate America, but also the grass roots support from individuals and communities who know first-hand the importance of community colleges in education and training.”

                “We are extremely proud that two of Montgomery College’s true heroes – indeed, two of our community’s true heroes – are being recognized with this very deserving and prestigious honor,” said Dr. Charlene R. Nunley, President of Montgomery College. “Their most generous contribution to our institution speaks volumes about their commitment to serving and giving back to our community, and to their recognition of the important role that community colleges play in the development of our students and the community, as a whole.”

                A Bethesda, Maryland resident, Gordon Macklin is the former president of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., which formerly owned the NASDAQ stock exchange. He is currently on the board of MCI WorldCom, as well as dozens of other major corporations and non-profit organizations.

                Montgomery College significantly improves the quality of the workforce here and has the opportunity to do more,” said Macklin earlier this year, in announcing his donation. “It attracts industry, jobs, and greater prosperity. As citizens, we have an opportunity to help our community grow and prosper." Because his daughter and her husband also graduated from MC, he mused, “In addition to being a great investment, Montgomery College is also a great place to find a son-in-law.”

                The Macklins’ donation helped to establish the Macklin Business Institute, which provides a rigorous business honors program for selected sophomore-level students. Each participating student receives a scholarship, participates in a business internship and is teamed with a faculty and corporate mentor. The program is currently in its first semester of operation, with an initial class of 10 students. Participating students will have the opportunity to transfer to top business schools.

                "The focused programs of the Macklin Business Institute are designed to provide students with the skills, values, and experiences that are essential in the rapidly changing, high-technology world of business today," said Jeffrey Schwartz, director of the Institute.

                At the time it was presented, the Macklins’ gift represented the largest gift ever given by an individual donor to a Maryland community college. Shortly after it was received, Montgomery College was also the beneficiary of a $1.3 million gift from northern Virginia computer systems engineer and investor Paul Peck, whose contribution helped to found the recently dedicated Paul Peck Humanities Institute.