Outstanding Alumnus Award – Daniel T. Laur ‘76 When Dan Laur’s parents took a gamble and opened their own business in 1977, Dan, newly graduated from LSSU with bachelor’s degrees in history and political science, became the first person on the payroll. Today, 35 years later, the recipient of this year’s Outstanding Alumnus Award is still on the payroll as president of Laur Silicone Inc., a company that specializes in custom formulating and mixing silicone rubber for use in a variety of manufacturing products. The company has built a reputation for providing a superior product and service from its Beaverton, Mich. base. Its facility provides lab samples, stringent quality-control testing, pilot runs for trial scale-ups and production quantities of any size. While that may seem complicated to someone who is unfamiliar with silicone rubber or manufacturing processes, Laur insists that providing a good product for an affordable price is a simple business practice, something that he learned as part of his LSSU education. One might think that it would have taken a degree in business or engineering for a person to follow the career path that Laur took, but his degrees in history and political science have served him well. “I received a good basic education at LSSU,” he said. “In addition, many times I walked by the sign (formerly posted at the east entrance to campus) that said, ‘Enter to Learn – Go Forth to Serve.’ Beyond that, life is just not that complicated,” he said. “To that point, I learned a lot about machines during the summer that I borrowed the campus auto shop to drop a rebuilt engine into my car. From that, I gained Dan Laur and LSSU Atlantic salmon he caught in 2012. a greater confidence working on machines and doing things that I had not done before, something that has proven useful when working on rubber equipment. This equipment is just bearings, gears and bolts, just like a car, only sometimes bigger. Again, it really is pretty simple.” Through the years, his experiences at LSSU have remained in his thoughts and have motivated him to donate to the LSSU Foundation to help other students find their career paths. His gifts are unrestricted, meaning that they may be used wherever the need on campus is greatest, whether it’s for equipment to refurbish the former auto shop that has since become an expanded machine shop and robotics lab, or to help raise the necessary funds for the university’s match in the South Hall project. Again, Laur says his motivation to donate boils down to a simple philosophy. “I have always viewed LSSU as a good place for kids to get a good education without being overwhelmed by the world. Is not that enough? Besides, the people there have a better understanding of the needs than I do,” he added. Outside of work, Laur enjoys fishing and has been making trips north to the rapids of the St. Mary’s River in recent years. He predicts that steelhead should be making their way into the rapids right about the time that he and other LSSU alumni are returning to campus for Great Lake State Weekend, Oct. 26-28. Laur met his wife, Suzann, in Mexico while scuba diving, a hobby they enjoy sharing. They were married in Hawaii and are parents of two children, Kevin and Alexandra, both of whom are attending college in Santa Barbara, California. For more information on Laur’s company, visit laursilicone.com. alumni and one good friend in the form of a very successful local business during the annual Alumni Awards program held during Great Lake State Weekend, Oct. 26-28 on campus. Tickets must be reserved in advance for the event, which begins at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27, in the Walker Cisler Center. Dinner will be followed by comments from LSSU President Tony McLain and each of the award recipients, who include: Outstanding Alumnus Award recipient Daniel T. Laur ‘76, of Sanford; Kenneth J. Shouldice Achievement Award recipient Tom Ewing ‘73, Sault Ste. Marie; Paul Ripley Young Alumna Award recipient Heather J. Benjamin ‘01, Waterford, Wisc.; and Donald and Catherine Finlayson Award recipient Precision Edge Surgical Products, Sault Ste. Marie. “It is always a pleasure to recognize alumni and friends of the university who give so much back to LSSU,” said LSSU Alumni Relations Director Susan Fitzpatrick. “They are proud to demonstrate their loyalty and commitment to their alma mater through their words and their actions. The Alumni Awards ceremony is your opportunity to meet and hear from some of LSSU’s exceptional and influential alumni. Each has accomplished great things, and we are excited to see what they will accomplish in the years ahead.” 8 2012 Alumni Awards three The LSSU Alumni Association will recognize