Adelphi University Honors Geoffrey Palmer '61 with the Ruth Stratton Harley Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award

Geoffrey Palmer ’61 will receive the Ruth Stratton Harley Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from Adelphi University at its 115th Commencement on Friday, May 20, 2011. The ceremony will begin at 10:00 a.m. in the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1255 Hempstead Turnpike, Uniondale, NY.

Mr. Palmer, who currently serves as vice president for UBS Financial Services, works with private clients on financial planning and estate planning.  He has been with the firm for more than 30 years. Before embarking on a career in finance, he worked for Bausch & Lomb, the New York Times, and Xerox Publishing and served in the United States Army.

During his time at Adelphi, Mr. Palmer was a member of the campus police and the Class of 1961 gift committee, and was president of the Inter-Fraternity Council. He was also a member of the Chi Sigma fraternity, Squash team, and Students Association. Mr. Palmer has distinguished himself at Adelphi through his membership in the Ruth S. Harley Planned Giving Society and establishment of the Geoffrey D. Palmer Endowed Scholarship for the benefit of Adelphi students from upstate New York. His friendship and outstanding commitment to Adelphi help to ensure that today’s students can enjoy the same opportunities that he did during his undergraduate years.

Mr. Palmer currently resides in Madison, Connecticut. He has been elected to the Madison Board of Finance and has served as the chairman of the Madison Health and Human Services Commission, the president and director of the Madison Foundation, as well as the vice president of A Better Chance, a program for inner-city students who come to Madison for their high school careers. Mr. Palmer received his undergraduate degree from Adelphi’s College of Arts and Sciences in 1961 and went on to receive an M.B.A. from SUNY Buffalo in 1966.  In his free time, Mr. Palmer enjoys traveling and playing tennis and competes in the senior singles division of the United States Tennis Association in the New England region.

The Ruth Stratton Harley Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award was established to salute Ruth S. Harley, dean emerita and member of the Adelphi College Class of 1924. The award is given each year by the Adelphi University Alumni Association on behalf of the president of the University to honor an Adelphi University alumna or alumnus for remarkable achievements in business or professional life, or for distinguished accomplishments through service to his or her community, state, or country.

For more information and the full day’s program, please contact Adelphi’s commencement office at 516.877.4695, or visit Commencement website.