Bruce Lopez Meritorious Achievement Award is presented to an individual who has made an important contribution to KASFAA or to the financial aid profession that KASFAA wishes to recognize. To receive a Meritorious Achievement Award, the individual should have made either an important single contribution or significant multiple contributions to KASFAA or the profession.
(This award was renamed in memory and honor of Bruce Lopez during the December 2019 board meeting)
Awarded to Thad Davidson, Emporia State University, for stepping in to the role of Electronic Resources chair after the former chair left mid-year, and dedicating a LOT of time and energy developing our new website and making it as easy as possible for future chairs and committee members to manage the site. “The website alone was an important single contribution and significant multiple contributions all wrapped in to one.”
Thad’s words of thanks
I don’t quite remember when I first met him, but I do remember my first impression of him. He was dressed nicely in a suit and tie and his mannerisms very professional. As he went to greet me with his burly hands, his grip was strong, and his dark eyes and thick mustache smiled at me genuinely. I don’t remember what he said to me, but I remember thinking that he was a kind man just in the way he greeted and welcomed this new guy in the financial aid industry.
As I became involved in KASFAA either through attending conferences or volunteering to help, he was not only the guy who could make me laugh when I needed it, but he was also the guy who would cheer me on, “You’ve got this Thad!” He would always greet me in the hallways of the conference hotels and ask how I was doing, going out of his way to listen. I could only surmise that if he was this way with me, he was this way with everyone in the organization and we were fortunate to have him.
Not being one to just lead by word, he led by example. I remember more recently as we were hosting the RMASFAA conference in Wichita, I was feeling a little bit overwhelmed and tired with some duties of that conference. Sensing that, he gave me a preloaded Starbucks card and said “why don’t you get yourself something to drink, on me?” I have heard story after story that he would give to our various philanthropy causes out of his own pocket to help us all reach or exceed the goal we set. I have witnessed him serve joyfully on committee after committee. He was a man who gave of himself to others, and that is an example worth following.
We all knew him to be humorous and so easy to talk to. You could talk to him about anything and you know he would listen intently. He, in turn, also loved to share what was going on in his life, and most recently it always seemed to center around his adventures with his grandkids – they were obviously his pride and joy and source of many a hearty laugh.
Bruce Lopez was a giant of a man. We all have similar stories of him – that is just who he was. We are all fortunate to have met him and served alongside him and I am deeply, deeply humbled to be the first recipient of the award now named in his honor. From my own colleagues at ESU to those I have served alongside on KASFAA committees, thank you for your confidence in me, your kindness, and your giving of yourself which spurs me on to do the same – you all exemplify the character of Bruce in these ways. May we all remember our dear friend and colleague in how we treat one another and cheer for each other in our many endeavors.
