Stuart E. Berelson '59: 2009 Loyalty to Bucknell University award

Stuart E. Berelson graduated from Bucknell in 1959 with a degree in Political Science.  He was a member of Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity and the varsity swimming and diving team.  He was elected to Tau Kappa Alpha, the national debating honorary society. He has been an active loyal alumnus since graduation.   

Following Bucknell, “Stu” obtained Juris Doctorate and Master of Law (Taxation) degrees from New York University School of Law, and embarked on a 48-year career in law.  He served as a first lieutenant in the military police and served two years in Germany. He is counsel with the New York law firm of Wormser, Kiely, Galef & Jacobs and is active in the practice.

Stu’s long service to Bucknell University includes serving as a member of the National Committee on Annual Giving and as former Director of the Alumni Association.  He served as President of the Alumni Club of Greater New York for six years and Vice President for 15 years.   

Stu and his wife, Betty, have been frequent and generous hosts for Bucknell alumni events and for individual alumni and parents, and have hosted student receptions and prospective student groups and individuals, all while working closely, if under the radar and out of public notice, with Bucknell staff.

Stu was appointed to Bucknell’s Board of Trustees in 1983 and has remained an active member for over 25 years.  He chairs the Board’s risk management and legal committees.  Since the 1980s, his expertise in real estate, contract and tax law benefited many of Bucknell’s capital projects, including securing bond financing and construction contracts. 

As a knowledgeable Bucknell staff member put it, “Others have almost always gotten credit for Stu’s best work, and that is exactly as he wanted it.  He has been a tireless and thoughtful advocate for Bucknell; however his advocacy is not uncritical, and his criticism, because it is grounded in his abiding care for Bucknell, is all the more valuable. 

The specifics of his contributions as a volunteer are perhaps less significant than the manner in which he consistently lends his aid.  There is no one anywhere who is happier to help, easier to work with or more accommodating of Bucknell’s needs, interests and aspirations.” 

Stu has given generously to Bucknell.  The Judaica Collection of the Bertrand Library was a gift in 1989 in honor of his parents.  The collection contains exquisite rare imprints, that are housed in the Special Collections section of the library, as well as materials that reflect Jewish experience that are among the library’s general holdings.  The Berelson Center for Jewish Life is the new home for the Bucknell Jewish community; the Center was a project that Stu envisioned, for which he led fundraising, and to which he contributed the most support. He has also been active in non-Bucknell charities.

Stu is married to his wife Betty (Gold), and they reside in Rowayton, Connecticut.  They are proud parents of four children, two of whom graduated from Bucknell: son Joel, Class of 1985, and daughter Wendy, Class of 1991. Other daughters are Lori and stepdaughter Meredith.

It is with great pleasure that the Bucknell Alumni Association honors Stuart E. Berelson with its Loyalty to Bucknell Award.