By T. Mark Aimone '86, Director of Advancement
Each year the Advancement Office takes time to recognize alumni who are celebrating their reunions. Two significant awards are presented at the Reunion festivities. The first is the Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes an alumna/alumnus for their accomplishments and service beyond their time at Tabor Academy. The second award is the Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes an alumna/alumnus for their service to Tabor Academy.
Al Fried, Jr. ’48: Lifetime Achievement Award
This year we were honored to present the Lifetime Achievement Award to Al Fried, Jr. who celebrated his 65th Reunion. Al graduated from Tabor in 1948 and then received his BA and MBA from Cornell University.
Following college he served as a Captain in the US Air Force and then went to work in South America for the W.R Grace Company. At age twenty-five, he joined his father at their family business on Wall Street, Albert Fried & Company, where he continues to serve as the Managing Director.
Al has been a longtime supporter of The Centurion Foundation that supports law enforcement and the NYPD. He has also served as Honorary Commissioner of the New York City Police Department, appointed by Governor George Pataki. A racehorse enthusiast and owner, Al serves as a Trustee for the New York Racing Association, Inc.
Al served as a Trustee at Tabor Academy from 1973-1988 and was named an Emeritus Trustee in 2000, a position he continues to hold. In 1988, he established the Albert Fried Scholarship Fund awarded each year to a boarding student at Tabor with preference given to a student from the state of New York.
Keith Browning ’79: Distinguished Service Award
Keith & Pam Browning at Reunion 2013.
For 25 years, Keith Browning ’79 has served Tabor Academy as a member of the Board of Trustees. Keith was appointed to the Tabor Board in 1988 and has served continuously since being appointed. In 2006, Keith was appointed as Chair of the Board and continues to hold that position today. In addition to being Chair, he also served on the search committee that brought John Quirk to Tabor as the 9th Head of School. In a word, Keith’s leadership of the Board has been exceptional.
The demands of an independent school Board Chair are challenging and time consuming enough under normal circumstances- however, adding the transition to a new Head of School and undertaking a strategic plan to the list makes the demands even greater. Keith has done a remarkable job balancing the demands of his own career, his family and his commitment to Tabor Academy. Amidst it all, he even managed to find enough time to climb to the summit of Mt. Kilamanjaro!
In 1985, Keith’s family established the Browning Family Scholarship Fund to support two students each year who, in the eyes of the Admission Committee, will make the most of the Tabor experience. In addition to his role as an alumnus and as a Trustee, Keith has also worn the parent hat here at Tabor thrice. Keith and Pam’s three children, Trevor, Lex and Carly carried on their family’s tradition on their graduation from Tabor.
We thank Keith for his leadership, loyalty, commitment and outstanding service to our school.
