Alumni and Friends of Central Michigan University

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Alumni Commitment Award

Alumni Commitment Award - Clarence Tuma

Clarence Tuma, '50, has given his time, effort and support to CMU for more than 50 years.

Most recently, Clarence spearheaded an effort to raise $25,000 for an endowment to honor a librarian, Catherine O'Connell, who dedicated her life to improving CMU's libraries. He called on his fraternity, Alpha Beta Sigma, a local fraternity in the late '40s and early '50s, to raise the money. So far more than $16,000 has been raised.

Clarence also chaired a reunion committee that raised more than $25,000 benefiting student scholarships and brought back more than 300 alumni from the years 1945 to 1950.

Clarence and his wife, Mary Ann, agreed to serve as chairpersons of the 6th annual OPUS gala, which benefits the School of Music. The lobby in the School of Music is named in honor of Clarence's first wife, Janet Thorne Tuma, on behalf of a gift made by Clarence.

Through the years, he has also supported athletics, the College of Science and Technology, the history department and public broadcasting. He has been a CMU homecoming grand marshal, and was given the Centennial Award in 1992. He has also served on the CMU Development Board.

During his student years, Clarence worked in food services at CMU and left to open The Embers restaurant in Mount Pleasant in 1958. He is now retired.