The Celebration of Excellence, which combines the annual Barbara Carr McKee Scholarship Luncheon and the Keenan-Martine Endowment celebration, honors grant and scholarship recipients and pays tribute to the donors whose generosity makes all the difference.

The luncheon also offers a unique opportunity for St. Bonaventure benefactors to witness the culmination of a year of hard work by deserving scholarship recipients.

Held on a Friday in April, the luncheon features opening remarks by the university president, speeches by a scholarship recipient, faculty grant recipient, and a scholarship donor, and a showcase of excellent student and faculty work.

The event is attended by scholarship and grant recipients, scholarship donors, and the students and faculty members who created the work on display.


The Leo E. Keenan Jr. and James J. Martine faculty development endowments provide funding to improve the quality of teaching and learning at the university. They were established in 1999 by alumnus and trustee emeritus Leslie C. Quick III and his wife, Eileen. Quick is managing partner and founding partner of Massey Quick Simon.


The scholarship luncheon, part of the Celebration of Excellence, honors the late Barbara Carr McKee, the administrator who infused special life and enthusiasm into the event. Barbara gave her time and diverse talents to the St. Bonaventure University community for more than 15 years. She died of cancer on June 2, 2003.

This annual golf outing began in 2002 in memory of Rob Peraza, a 1994 St. Bonaventure graduate who was killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center. Rob, who also earned his MBA at St. Bonaventure, was an outstanding rugby player during his time on campus.

The golf outing helps raise funds for The Robert David Peraza Memorial Scholarship Fund, an endowed needs-based scholarship awarded to an incoming freshman rugby player.

For more information about the scholarship, please send an email to Billy Kelly.

To make a donation to the scholarship fund, please contact Angela Nelson via the contact information listed at left.