Honoring Volunteers

From left: King ’79, Landigran ’76, Plohn ’66, and Pai ’99

Gary M. King ’79’s love for Princeton runs deep: Now president of the Class of 1979, he has never missed a reunion, a P-rade, or an Alumni Day. He has served his class as vice president, reunion chair, and historian, among other positions, and under his leadership, class events have seen record attendance. King, who has saved every issue of The Daily Princetonian published while he was an undergraduate, is chair of the Princetoniana Committee, preserving University traditions. A member of the New York City regional Princeton Prize in Race Relations committee since 2009, King increased the group from six to 24 members. He is treasurer of the Princeton Prize national board and on Quadrangle Club’s graduate board.

“Legendary” is the word classmates use to describe William “Willy” Landrigan ’76. One of 11 who have never missed a ’76 reunion, the former class president and two-time vice president also has organized mini-reunions from New Jersey to California and, recently, to Ireland. Landrigan began serving as an Alumni Schools interviewer for the Ohio Valley Princeton Alumni Association after moving to Cincinnati more than 35 years ago. He still interviews prospective students today, and has served the association as secretary, president, and treasurer. A longtime class agent, Landrigan has helped 1976 set fundraising records.

Four months after graduating, Gary K. Pai ’99 began interviewing for New York City’s Alumni Schools Committee. Two years later he became committee chair, heading it for almost 10 years. In 2003, Pai joined a group trying to revive the Princeton Alumni Association of New York City and, as president, helped it thrive. The association’s Orange and Black Ball, which he organizes, has raised more than $30,000 for Annual Giving. A timeline of Pai’s volunteerism would show that he has held three to five positions simultaneously — from class vice president to national board member of the Princeton Prize.

Charles Plohn ’66’s volunteerism began in 1981 when he became class treasurer. Since then he has served on the Annual Giving National Committee, as a P-rade marshal and grand marshal, and since 2012, as class president. Plohn has nurtured ’66’s “grandfather” relationship with the Class of 2016; the two classes have had more than 140 events during his presidency. In addition, the ’66 summer mentorship program has hosted 64 gatherings in the United States and abroad. A Woodrow Wilson School major, he established the Plohn Scholar Thesis Research Fund and chaired the steering committee for the school’s 75th anniversary celebration.