Henry Bellagamba Speech

“I am very grateful to be one of the recipients of the 2016 Distinguished Alumnus Award. It is truly and honor that I will cherish my entire life. To be reviewed by my peers and have the achievements of my career considered worthy of this award is both humbling and gratifying.

“A sincere thanks to Jennifer Juarez, of my firm Fullerton Engineering, for submitting my candidacy, and to the Alumni Board for bestowing upon me such a high honor. Thanks also to Professor Mariñas and the Alumni staff for organizing this delightful dinner and congratulations to the other honorees.

“I have been blessed with an incredible partner in this journey, my always supportive and lovely wife Diana and our adorable children Sofia, Valentina and Arsenius, and I am very happy that you are sharing this award with me. I am indebted to your faithfulness and love. I am also pleased that my mother, sister and brother law are in attendance. Unfortunately, my late father, who was my partner and very close friend, cannot be here to share in this day.

“Finally, I would like to recognize all of my colleagues and staff at Fullerton who have steadfastly believed in my vision, goals and leadership. Their dedication made today possible.

“At age 29 I started the consulting firm that now has an 18‐year lifespan and continues to grow in its abilities and position in the marketplace. I can attest that those 18 years have been absolutely satisfying and roused passions in me that I didn’t know existed. I recall writing a short business plan, reviewing and approving it and there I was — a self‐proclaimed businessman. What an exhilarating feeling. By this time many of my skills had been sharpened through experience, but at the foundation of it all was my education. The U of I had forged the philosophical attributes required for me to be successful. Let me elaborate on the lessons implanted in me from our Civil Department.

“Everything about attending U of I was rigorous. The curriculum, the work load, the expectations. The professors of our department taught and ingrained in me to inquire deeply into our physical world for evidence to solve problems. I learned that in order to be a practitioner of a field of knowledge you must understand the fundamentals and be willing to perform independent investigations for answers. An attitude of respect and teamwork was absolutely impressed upon me by the Department. In conclusion the U of I prepared me for my career by instilling an ethos of knowledge, hard work, ethics, and striving to be the best in a competitive and challenging environment.

“Every year I attend this event I am reminded of the power of our timeless shared experiences at U of I and the positive impact that our top ranked Civil Department continues to have on all of us and society. In my opinion, to quote the philosopher Aristotle we are an example of “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. Thank you for granting me this Distinguished Alumnus award, I couldn’t be more proud and humbled to receive it in your presence.”