LYCOMING COLLEGE 2024 FALL MAGAZINE

Supporting an Inclusive Community

eter Bruguiere ’69 graduated from Lycoming College with a major in history. Active on campus, he was a member of the Theta Chi fraternity and was involved and a leader in many different organizations. He was inducted into the IRUSKA Honor Society and received the Bishop Perry Eveland prize at graduation. Peter also was nominated as a candidate for the 1969 Chieftain Award and was named to Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges & Universities. With a strong commitment to education, Peter worked as a teacher in New Jersey for 40 years. He is an advocate for education and the arts and has been a loyal supporter of Lycoming College. He believes that Lycoming’s strength is in its community, and he is committed to supporting the College’s efforts to be even more open and accepting of students of all backgrounds. “I got to know many interesting people at Lycoming, and I was exposed to things I knew nothing about through the cultural activities offered on campus,” he says. While teaching, Peter took a part-time job at the clothing store, Roots, in 1975. It was there that he met Andrew Walker, a leader in retail sales and management. The two went on their first date a week later, resulting in a lifetime of happiness. The couple was civil unionized in 2007 and later married in 2013. They were together nearly 40 years, enjoying their time spent together traveling, visiting their home in Florida, and building their antique collection, before Andrew succumbed to cancer in 2015. In 2019, Peter named Lycoming College in his will through a bequest, thus making him a member of the Tower Society. In an effort to extend his gratitude to his alma mater and honor his late husband, Peter established The Peter R. Bruguiere ’69 and Andrew L. Walker LGBTQIA+ Endowed Scholarship Fund earlier this year. Criteria selection for the scholarship will give priority to worthy candidates who are members of the LGBTQIA+ community and are pursuing a certification in education or a degree in theatre, or to a student involved in a club or organization that promotes diversity and community acceptance of students who are members of the LGBTQIA+ community, regardless of major.

I got to know many interesting

people at Lycoming

(L to R) Andrew and Peter at their civil union ceremony

Peter shares that establishing a scholarship fund is his way of doing something worthwhile that will help students. Regarding the selection criteria, he says, “Nothing of this kind had been established at Lycoming, and I want to recognize the value of different kinds of people like Andrew and me. The importance of LGBTQIA+ people needs to be acknowledged, celebrated, and preserved.” To learn more about including Lycoming College in your estate planning, contact Robb Dietrich, assistant vice president for major and planned gifts, at dietrich@lycoming.edu or 570-321-4401.