HARTFORD, Conn., June 13, 2007—Ward S. Curran ’57, a Trinity professor who excels in the fields of corporate finance, price theory and regulated industries, has received the Eigenbrodt Cup Award—the highest and most prestigious alumni award Trinity College can bestow. Created by Miss Sallie Eigenbrodt in memory of her brother David L. Eigenbrodt, who graduated in 1831, the Award honors a Trinity alumnus/a of national or international prominence for his/her outstanding contributions and service on behalf of the College. Curran, a member of the Class of 1957, received the award in June at his 50th class reunion.
An Illinois native, Curran came to Trinity in the fall of 1953 as an Illinois Scholar. He played on the football team and was a member of the Alpha Chi Rho fraternity. He studied history and graduated with honors from Trinity in 1957.
He then earned an M.A. and a Ph.D. at Columbia University and joined the Trinity faculty in 1960. In 1978, he was appointed chairman of the economics department. For nearly 30 years, he has taught a course at Yale University and has held visiting academic appointments at the University of Connecticut School of Law and Wesleyan University.
His impact has reached beyond the classroom. He has served as a consulting economist to the Minary Nine, which later became the Consortium on Financing Higher Education. Curran also served as director of institutional planning during the administration of Theodore Lockwood, Trinity’s 15th president. An accomplished writer, he has published numerous articles and several books. He is a member of the American Economic Association, American Finance Association, and Financial Management Association.
Over the last 50 years, he has shown considerable support for, and commitment to, his alma mater. He served as a volunteer on his reunion committees and has been a popular featured speaker at many Reunion Weekends. He is a longtime member of the Trinity Club of Hartford.
In 1997, he was recognized with the Alumni Medal for Excellence, and in 2006, he was honored with a named chair, the Ward S. Curran Distinguished Professor of Economics, given by former student Peter Kraus and his wife, Jill, in recognition of Curran’s extraordinary career and service to Trinity. It is rare for a professor to hold a chair named in his own honor, and it is a testament to the high regard that his students and colleagues hold for him. Alumni speak of him fondly, both as a teacher and as a life-long mentor.
Other awards presented during Trinity’s Reunion Weekend include the Gary McQuaid Award: Burt A. Adelman, M.D. ’72; Alumni Achievement Award: Karen L. Mapp ’77; Alumni Medals for Excellence: Samuel Bailey, Jr. ’62;’77; Elizabeth Elting ’87; Conrad Meyer III; Allan Rudnick ’62; H.; and R. Kevin Smith ’87 . The McQuaid Award is presented in memory of Gary W. McQuaid ’64 in recognition of his leadership as a Trinity undergraduate and his subsequent success in the business world.
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