Distinguished Service
HCC presents Distinguished Service Awards
Auto dealer Gary Rome, president and CEO of Gary Rome Auto Group, received a Distinguished Service Award at Holyoke Community College’s 78th Commencement ceremony on May 31.
The Distinguished Service Award recognizes individuals whose dedication and outstanding service to HCC has enhanced the student experience. The award recognizes friends, donors, community members, retirees, and alumni who have enriched the college through their volunteer service and leadership, financial commitment, and participation in college activities or programs, and who embrace and celebrate HCC values.
Rome, owner of Gary Rome Hyundai in Holyoke and Gary Rome Kia in Enfield, Conn., has served on the Board of Directors of the HCC Foundation for nine years and been a driving force behind the success of the Foundation’s annual one-day spring fundraising campaign, “Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives,” which has raised nearly $1 million over the past five years.
A resident of Longmeadow who grew up in Holyoke, Rome has deep roots in the Holyoke community, dating back to 1890, when his great-grandfather, Louis Ricklas, moved to the city and opened a shoe store on Lyman Street and a grocery store on High Street.
“Our family has been in Holyoke for 130 years, so it’s important to me that we continue the tradition of being active and supporting the community,” he said last year.
Both individually and through his business, Rome has helped secure funds for the HCC Thrive Center and Food Pantry, supporting students’ basic needs so they can focus on academic success.
In 2023, Rome was named the TIME magazine’s Dealer of the Year – one of the automotive industry’s most prestigious honors – in recognition of his excellence in business, ethical leadership, and community engagement.
“Through his philanthropic leadership, he has made a meaningful and lasting impact on the college and its students,” HCC President George Timmons said during the award presentation.
HCC also presented Distinguished Service Awards to alum Gertrude Monson ’97, a long-time volunteer and current president of the HCC Alumni Association; Susanne Campagna, education director for the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department and chief facilitator of the department’s culinary arts training program at HCC; and, posthumously, to David Gadaire, the late, long-time leader of MassHire Holyoke (formerly Holyoke Works).
PHOTO: HCC President George Timmons presents a Distinguished Service Award to auto dealer Gary Rome at Commencement on May 31.
