The faculty and staff held a lunch to honor Cornell College President Les Garner and his wife Katrina. The pair have been at the college since 1994, but will be leaving this summer.
Here are the gratitudes that were submitted:
Doesn’t the word “graciousness” sum up both Les and Katrina’s presence? Welcoming faculty, staff, students, visitors, trustees—whoever came to campus—with their generous spirit of hospitality and love of Cornell—this was truly inspiring.
When I meet with prospective students and describe the close-knit community on our campus, I still use the story about the time at the end of my senior year when President Garner brought my suit and briefcase to Chicago for a last-minute interview. Please know that all you have done for Cornell College is much appreciated and you will be missed.
Thank you, Les, for treating me as a peer and colleague as we worked together as co-chairs of the Committee on Administration. Thank you, Katrina, for bringing beauty and elegance to Cornell’s campus.
Thanks for the memories; Apollo and Dell; Apple and HP; and routers galore. But more importantly, thank you both for your humanity which made this place so special. May happiness be your personal shadow for the rest of your life, always with you.
Katrina, what will we do without your grace, smile, love and support of the arts, and especially your gourmet pizza?
Thanks for showing compassion during one of the most trying times of my life.
I wish to thank Les for three things. First for marrying Katrina and bringing her to our Hilltop where she has been such a positive force with our students; second for having a vision for our future that included all areas of the college and encouraged faculty and alumni to think outside the box in ways that will make the Cornell experience better for everyone; and third for being a Cardinal fan in “Cubs territory” and being concerned about how the Redbirds were doing in the World Series during a President’s Society dinner. Now that is a liberally educated leader!
All presidencies have their highs and lows. The time when I realized how fortunate we were to have President Garner was during one of his low moments. It was last spring when he had to announce budget cuts to faculty and staff and announce that a few positions would need to be eliminated. He had tears in his eyes and I thought to myself, “This man truly cares.” Thanks for leading us with your head AND heart. We’ll miss you!
“Quite frankly,” is Les’ favorite interjection. Les, quite frankly, you have been a visionary leader and a true community member.
President Garner, in our increasingly uncivil society, I want to honor your kind regard for human dignity, whether that of neighbors concerned about Cornell parking lots, or emeritus professors struggling with debilitating illness. Thank you for the steadfast goodness and goodwill of your humane leadership over the past 16 years.
I am grateful for an administration of integrity and vision!
Your grandmother gave you wonderful advice. She said, “The more you stir a turd, the worse it smells.” Sometimes dwelling on a difficult situation only makes matters worse. Thus, there have been times when I have wisely hit the “delete” key before I clicked on “send.”
Thank you for your leadership, for your tireless efforts on behalf of the college, and for all the advances large and small that the college has made in the last 16 years as a result.
President Garner has been an institutional leader of the first rank, attentive to all aspects of the college’s institutional life and the needs of all its constituencies. He is fair-minded, creative, thoughtful, and patient, and he brings out the best in all of us.
Thank you for being a “true Southern gentleman” in the many ways you showed your compassion and concern for the entire Cornell community. I hope the future holds great adventures for you and, of course, delightful cups of coffee along the way!
If there is a matrix President Garner has not drawn, I would like to know about it.
I was disappointed that you didn’t choose to go into the roasted peanut business.
When the Garner family arrived in 1994, there was, for the first time in many years, children in the presidential residence. What a pleasure to watch Brantley and William grow through adolescence into adulthood on the Hilltop!
Thank you, Les and Katrina, for your transformative effect on Cornell College. Even as Katrina’s artistic genius transformed the lugubrious space in front of the President’s House into a magical, glorious, flower and art-filled space, Les’ wonderful management and fund raising skills helped transform Cornell’s physical campus and academic program into something truly extraordinary for students and faculty alike. Thank you for the incredible impact you’ve had on all of us. We’ll miss you both!
As quoted by Winston Churchill: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Best wishes as you continue on your next adventure.
Thanks for the funniest knock-knock joke I ever heard—even if I can’t tell it to my children.
Les and Katrina, you have left a lasting impression on not only the Cornell community but also Mount Vernon. The Hilltop is a deeper, richer, more diverse and interesting place since your arrival and we thank you for your wonderful years of leadership and commitment to the college.
I will miss President Lester following and helping First Lady Katrina on her art escapades on campus and in our town. Knowing their commitment to the arts, I am sure some of that will continue.
Thank you for your personal condolences when I lost a close family member. It reminded me how fortunate we are to work in a community where we are viewed and valued as people and not just as workers. We are sorry about your own recent loss of a parent, and wish you the best.
Of the six presidents of Cornell that I have known, Les Garner was the most comfortable in the job, and handled the job of president with firmness, dispatch, and a cool professionalism. Good work, Les.
When Don Loes—the now-retired electrician who was the first member of our department to be sent to the president’s house—returned to the shop, wide-eyed with wonder, he said, “They’re just regular folk!” After all the years I have known the Garners, I am still amazed that such extraordinary people can be such regular folks, and I feel blessed to have known them.
I greatly appreciated (and will miss) the friendly elegance you both brought to our campus.
Les Garner is the only college administrator that I have known to use the words “numerator” and “denominator” in the same sentence.
I’ll miss Les’ bowties and Katrina’s hats.
Les has been a wonderful president; honest, visionary, thoughtful, and a very good listener. Years ago the faculty women who held the rank for full professor met with him about some concerns and I have always remembered and appreciated his good questions, and thoughtful and honest responses. It has been a pleasure to work for him. He’s the best!
The women who have been at Cornell for at least 10 years will remember the many laughs and stories we shared with Katrina at Joan Claar’s infamous beginning of the year parties. It was great fun to know that we could all just be friends with the wife of the president. She has added to our time at Cornell in many public and private ways. We will miss you too, Katrina.
Thank you for fostering partnerships with educators in Asia. These relationships support opportunities for students to experience new cultures and new worldviews.
Les—Every year while we process in for Baccalaureate you threaten to open the service with one of your Ollie and Sven jokes. Well, friend, this would be the year to go for it!
Thank you for making me feel welcome from the first week I started at Cornell, by asking me if I was enjoying my first week and if I thought I would be happy here. That was 10 years ago.
Thank you for getting me to laugh and not take myself so seriously. Thank you for curious things like leaving the nativity set baby Jesus in the knife drawer until Dec. 25th—not bad theology; for your mentoring over the years; for caring about and sustaining our United Methodist connection at the Iowa, national, and international level when it would be easier to let it slide. But most of all, thank you for being a college president who isn’t slick; who is accessible and authentically real. How can we ever replace that?
Katrina—You are my role model of pure beauty in your dirt covered overalls and tractor look. Thank you for disclosing burning bushes, like your gingko tree blazing with the pulse of thousands of monarch butterfly wings. Thank you for not being afraid to say what you really think. Thank you for your sense of humor. And for the image I have of you in my mind, sitting in a flowing Iowa field with paints and pastels in hand. You are a beautiful soul.
Over the years of your presidency I have interacted with numerous “important” people in Eastern Iowa, often as a result of my relationship with Orchestra Iowa. It always gave me great pleasure to be able to say that Les Garner was our president. Without exception, this was well received, as my president was such an admired figure outside of Cornell as well. Thank you for just being who you are. The wisdom, charm, and class with which you consistently operate have been extraordinary gifts to all of us.
The path to your office through the 2nd floor lobby wasn’t always an easy one. Sometimes it meant stepping over papers, students, and other projects that were in the works. Thank you for only seeing the work and not the mess or inconvenience.
I’m grateful for an administration of integrity and a clear vision of the future of Cornell.
The grounds guys will miss the “Ginger Snaps.”
I so much appreciate how Les and Katrina have supported me during my time at Cornell. They have expressed their caring and concern to me during some very difficult personal times and it has meant more than I can say. Thank you both so much!
To Les and Katrina: Your down-to-earth-graciousness and inclusive sense of community have been a breath of fresh air to those of us who have lived and worked in less hospitable environments. It’s been a delight and an honor working with you!
Helen Keller said: “The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” Les and Katrina, you have touched my heart. Good luck and best wishes on your next life adventure.
Congratulations on your new adventures! Just like the graduating seniors you are about to go out into the “real world” and I hope Cornell prepared you well!
