Betty J. Tomion of Port Huron, center, reviews plans for St. Clair County Community College’s McMorran Greenway and Street Closure Project. With her, from left, are Community Foundation of St. Clair County officials Jackie Hanton, trustee; Randy Maiers, president; Denise Brooks, trustee; and Michael Cansfield, trustee. Tomion donated $20,000 to the project, and the Community Foundation will provide a $10,000 match.

Betty J. Tomion, a St. Clair County Community College retiree, has donated $20,000 to the college's "All Aboard: Campaign for Talent, Technology and Tomorrow," and her donation has qualified for a $10,000 matching gift to the campaign.

Tomion, 86, of Port Huron designated her one-time gift to the McMorran Greenway and Street Closure Project, making it eligible for a 50% match from the Community Foundation of St. Clair County. The Community Foundation will provide $10,000 to match Tomion's gift, bringing the total gift to $30,000.

The college adds a great deal to the whole city of Port Huron," Tomion said in making her donation. "It really is a big part of downtown."

SC4 and the SC4 Foundation launched the two-year, $1 million campaign Nov. 1 to raise money for student scholarships and five capital projects on the college's Port Huron campus. The McMorran Greenway and Street Closure is one of the five projects.

The Community Foundation's Board of Directors approved a $75,000 challenge grant Jan. 31 specifically intended for the McMorran Greenway and Street Closure Project. The grant will provide 50 cents from the Community Foundation for every dollar raised by the campaign for the project. The Community Foundation will make three matching payments to the SC4 Foundation of up to $25,000 each. To get the full $75,000 grant, the campaign will have to raise at least $150,000.

"I'm very appreciative of what the college has done for me and my family," Tomion said, explaining she chose to give the donation now so it would qualify for the match from the Community Foundation. "The whole campus is going to benefit," she said of the McMorran Greenway and Street Closure Project.

Tomion first came to SC4 as a part-time student, taking various classes after having graduated from the former Harper Hospital School of Nursing in Detroit. She went on to earn a bachelor of science degree in adult education from the University of Michigan-Flint and a master of arts degree in gerontology from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

A registered nurse, her career included time in office, hospital and operating room nursing. In the late 1960s, Tomion was hired by SC4 to run the former college health service. During her tenure at SC4, she taught high school nurse aide classes, worked as a practical nursing instructor and served for several years as nursing department chair. She retired in 1988.

She and her husband, the late Sam Tomion, had four children, all of whom attended SC4 before transferring to four-year institutions. Karl Tomion of Port Huron went on to earn a bachelor of arts degree in political science from the University of Michigan and a master of public administration degree from Wayne State University. He recently retired as Algonac city manager. Walter Tomion of Ann Arbor graduated from Western Michigan University. A registered nurse, he works for the Center of Forensic Psychiatry. The late Maggie Tomion graduated from Kalamazoo College. Sarah Tomion of Peoria, Ill., graduated from Illinois State University. She is a certified public accountant.

he McMorran Greenway and Street Closure Project will close McMorran Boulevard from Erie Street to River Street and River Street from McMorran Boulevard to Willow Street and turn them into a pedestrian walkway. The project will improve and provide safer pedestrian flow on campus, both between campus buildings and from downtown to the Black River. It will offer additional green opportunities for students, faculty, staff and the community. And it will give the SC4 campus a more defined entrance or "front door."

As of April 30, $384,557, or 38%, already has been pledged or raised for the overall campaign. Of that amount, $14,904 is from the Community Foundation's matching grant for the McMorran Greenway and Street Closure Project.

The campaign includes these projects: McMorran Greenway and Street Closure; Natural Science Museum Expansion; Historical Restoration of Room 312, Main Building; Campus Innovation Center; Campus Signage; and student scholarships.

For more information about the campaign, or to make a donation or pledge, visit www.sc4.edu/allaboard or contact David P. Goetze, SC4's director of college advancement and alumni relations, at (810) 989-5761 or dpgoetze@sc4.edu.

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