The dedication of the new memorial for former Vice President for Administrative Services Robert Allegre Jr. took place. Allegre passed away in 2010 due to complications with cancer at 61-years-old after serving American River College for nearly 30 years.
The memorial took place on Oct. 12 at 4 p.m. Placed outside of the theatre, the space gives students a pleasant place to sit and listen to the sounds of the fountain. Accompanied by a statue of a frog trio playfully leaping, the ambiance proved to be peaceful on a Friday with minimal students on campus.
“It’s nice and calm,” said ARC student Timothy Levering. “I like the openness of it, and the trees.”
The event was attended by over 100 people comprising of friends, colleagues, family members and ARC staff, who mingled while pleasantly recounting times spent with Allegre.
Preparations started early when a service crew began straightening up for the memorial at around 12:30 p.m., with ARC President David Viar himself lending a hand in the set up.
A number of people who passed by stopped to take a moment to read the plaque at the plaza that proclaimed Allegre as a “respected administrator, colleague and friend.”
“He was very dedicated to his work,” said Tatyana Torgashed, an administrative assistant for the Dean of Business and Computer Science who had the opportunity to work with Allegre. “He was caring about this community. (The memorial) is a great idea, when I heard about it I was excited.”
Others seemed to share that feeling, nodding as a few of those who worked closely with Allegre took to the lectern to talk about his impact on ARC.
Speakers at the dedication included Viar and former ARC President Marie Smith, who shared stories about their experiences working closely with Allegre.
“He was wise, reasoned, analytical and deliberate,” said Viar. “But at his core, he was kind, considerate and had a heart of gold.”
Allegre was praised for his abilities with managing the budget of ARC and finding creative ways to solve financial difficulties as they came about. He was also remembered for his humorous side and collecting of frog memorabilia.
Students across the ARC campus will be provided with a reminder of Allegre not only in the memorial and the many buildings he helped build across the campus, but by the sounds of bells from the library that chime on the hour.
