Frank Martz Henry To Be Honored With President’s Medal at Fourth Annual Event
Wilkes University will hold its Founders Gala 2017 on June 3 celebrating its heritage of educating first-generation college students. The gala, now in its fourth year, will be at 6 p.m. at the Westmoreland Club, 59 S. Franklin St. in Wilkes-Barre.
Wilkes University will hold its Founders Gala 2017 on June 3 celebrating its heritage of educating first-generation college students. The gala, now in its fourth year, will be at 6 p.m. at the Westmoreland Club, 59 S. Franklin St. in Wilkes-Barre.
The highlight of the event will be the presentation of the President’s Medal to Frank Martz Henry of Dallas, Pa. The President’s Medal is bestowed annually on an individual whose personal and professional life reflect the highest aspirations of Wilkes University.
Proceeds from the annual event support the First Generation Scholarship Fund, established to provide scholarship funding to first-generation students. Established in 2014, the Founders Gala and First Generation Scholarship Fund ensure that the University continues to provide opportunities for students that lead to success. Since its inception, the event has raised more than $1 million. For more information about sponsorships and attending the Founders Gala, please visit www.wilkes.edu/foundersgala or call (570) 408-4953.
“Through the First Generation Scholarship Fund, the University affirms its commitment to be a private university with a public purpose, supporting students in their journey to be the first in their family to earn a college degree,” says Wilkes President Patrick F. Leahy. “Nearly half of our incoming freshman in 2016 identified themselves as the first in their family to attend a four-year college.”
In announcing Frank Martz Henry as the 2017 President’s Medal honoree, Leahy praised his personal commitment to the University. “Wilkes University has no better friend than Frank Henry,” Leahy says. “Few people have made a more significant impact on Wilkes and its students than Frank has through his personal leadership and philanthropic support.”
Henry has had a distinguished career in the transportation industry. He is president of Gold Line, Inc. and serves as the president of First Class Coach Company, Inc. He also is the chairman emeritus of the Wilkes-Barre-based Frank Martz Coach Company and the Martz Group companies, which have locations in Maryland, Virginia and Florida. He previously served as that company’s president from 1964 to 1995.
Mr. Henry serves as a director of many local, regional and national companies. He was director of C-Tec Corp. He also served as honorary director of Gray Line Corporation, Inc. and served as its director and as a member of First Union NE Pennsylvania Regional Advisory Board. Other companies benefiting from his leadership as director include Commonwealth Enterprises Inc. (CTE), Avalon Cable of Michigan Inc., Wachovia Corp., Wells Fargo and First Fidelity Inc. Henry is a past chairman and member of the Geisinger Health System Foundation Board of Directors, Salvation Army Advisory Board and past chairman of the board of trustees of the Wilke-Barre Family YMCA.
Henry has been a member of the Wilkes University Board of Trustees since 1977. His generous support is reflected in the Henry Student Center, which serves as the center of campus life at Wilkes since its dedication in November 2001. It is named in honor of Henry and his late wife, Dorothea. Henry’s generosity is also reflected in the Frank M. and Dorothea Henry Gymnasium, named in May 1990 in recognition of their gifts to the Wilkes Tomorrow Capital Campaign.
Henry was born and raised in Wilkes-Barre, graduating from Wyoming Seminary and Yale University with a bachelor of arts in economics. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, where he served in the Strategic Air Command.
