Darlington Hall Lobby Dedication Merges Donor’s Support of Harford Community College with Love of Hometown

From Harford Community College:

Bryan and Katherine Kelly recently named the lobby in the College’s new nursing and allied health building, Darlington Hall, in honor of Bryan’s parents, Robert Joseph Kelly III and Mary Ella Kelly. They designated their gift to fund the greatest needs of the program as determined by the faculty and Dean of Nursing and Allied Health Professions – in this case, equipment, program support, and student scholarships.

A dedication ceremony was held at Darlington Hall on Wednesday, May 11 to name the lobby and recognize the generosity of all donors who have played a pivotal role in funding health care education at the College through a naming opportunity in the building. Harford Community College President Dr. Dennis Golladay welcomed the guests and introduced Bryan Kelly, who addressed the gathering along with fellow Darlingtonians Harford County Executive Barry Glassman and Harford County Director of Administration Billy Boniface. Denise Dregier, Director for the Harford Community College Foundation, thanked all donors on behalf of the HCC Foundation, faculty, and students who benefit from their generosity. She noted, “Your gifts are a true testament to the wonderful advances we can make when we all work together.”

Bryan explained his vision was twofold: to support the College and Harford’s students and also to recognize the community of Darlington where he grew up, his parents still reside, and where he continues to live and raise his family. So that Darlington residents were aware that a building on their local community college campus both bears the name of their village and celebrates its history, he invited his family, friends, and neighbors to the dedication ceremony.

While many of the buildings on HCC’s beautiful campus are named after Harford County communities, Darlington Hall is the first that has been so distinctly devoted to its area’s namesake. A painted collage in the lobby features places of historical significance in the town along with other prominent locations that are meaningful to Bryan’s parents. The collage, painted by artist Maura Dwyer of Spectrum Studio in Baltimore, bears this inscription: Darlington’s farms, fields, rolling hills, woodlands, streams, and wildlife dot its tranquil landscape. In this unspoiled setting sit 100 or so notable structures by nationally prominent architects, many dating from the 1800s. Like their forebears, today’s Darlingtonians are dedicated stewards over their heritage, land, community, and small town virtues. The lobby display highlights the idyllic nature of the community of Darlington as well as the Kelly family’s legacy of stewardship of their community and their commitment to family, education, neighborliness, and service through their generous support of excellence in health care education at Harford Community College.

Additionally, the generosity of the following donors was also recognized at the dedication for their pivotal role in funding health care education at the College through naming opportunities in Darlington Hall: David and Alena Schwaber; Craig A. Ward and M. Teresa Garland; Citizens Care and Rehabilitation Center, Havre de Grace, Maryland; University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health; Brenda and Quinn Morrison; Klein’s ShopRite of Maryland; Dr. Dennis Golladay in Honor of Dr. Mamie Howard-Golladay; Dr. Richard P. and Esther S. Streett and Family; Harford Bank; John and Sandra Ferriter; and Roy & Pat Thompson in Memory of Adam Thompson.