CSU Pueblo President’s Blue and Red Gala to Honor University Champions
Release Date: July 26, 2021
PUEBLO, Colo. – Timothy Mottet, president of Colorado State University Pueblo, is pleased to announce the return of the CSU Pueblo President’s Gala, now branded the CSU Pueblo President’s Blue and Red Gala. The Gala will take place on Saturday, Aug. 14 in the Occhiato Student Center Ballroom on campus. Proceeds from the Gala directly benefit future generations of CSU Pueblo students through scholarships and programs.
The late Dr. Art Gonzales and Lorraine Gonzales, Parkview Health System, Robert H. Rawlings Foundation, Colorado State University System and Board of Pueblo County Commissioners, will be honored at the Gala.
“After a difficult year of being unable to gather, I’m looking forward to welcoming guests and donors back to the CSU Pueblo campus,” said Mottet. “The President’s Blue and Red Gala will honor some of the university’s most generous donors, who greatly impact the lives of our students. We’re excited to tell the stories of our students and how the generosity of our community is changing lives at CSU Pueblo.”
The 2021 President’s Blue and Red Gala will begin at 6 p.m. with cocktails in the Occhiato Student Center Ballroom Foyer. Tickets for the 2021 President’s Blue and Red Gala are $125 per person or $1,500 for a corporate table of eight. Information on tickets, sponsorships and corporate tables is available through the CSU Pueblo Foundation website or 719-549-2307.
Entertainment for the evening will feature the CSU Pueblo Faculty Jazz Ensemble led by Ryan Van Gilder. For the eight year, alumnus Chris Turner, A01, and fellow alumni, Steven Titus, A11, Logan Gogarty, A13, Timothy Zercher, A16 and Antonio Huerta, A17, will host a reunion of former Associated Students’ Government members at 5 p.m.
The Late Dr. Art Gonzales and Lorraine Gonzales will be recognized for their support of numerous programs and initiatives spanning nearly four decades. Art who passed away in 2019, received the University’s first honorary doctorate for his decades of support to the institution and CSU Pueblo Athletics. Art established the Art Gonzales Baseball Scholarship Endowment in 1997 to provide scholarships to deserving student-athletes. In 2015, the couple created the Art and Lorraine Gonzales Scholarship Fund to help student-athletes at CSU Pueblo afford a college education. Art and Lorraine avidly fund the annual dinner for CSU Pueblo baseball alumni and "Pack the Park " night at Runyon Field to benefit CSU Pueblo student-athletes and Runyon Field. In early August, the University will open the newly built indoor training facility which will bear Gonzales’ name, “The Art.”
Parkview Health System will be recognized for its significant investments CSU Pueblo’s nursing and athletics programs. Parkview Health System in has been a supporter for more than three decades with donations totaling more than $5 million. Parkview has supported a myriad of programs at CSU Pueblo, but has made substantial commitments to nursing and athletics. In 2019, Parkview pledged $1.5 million to both nursing and the Pack Athletics program. This generous contribution provides nursing student scholarships and salary support for nursing faculty and staff, as well as funding additional staff to benefit all student-athletes. In addition to their financial support, Parkview orthopedic physicians provide their exceptional services and expertise to ensure the health and well-being of student-athletes are met in each sport.
Robert H. Rawlings Foundation will be honored for its three decades of support. The Rawlings Foundation has supported CSU Pueblo students and CSU Pueblo Athletics with donations totaling more than $2 million. In 2019, the Rawlings Foundation pledge $1 million to renovate the Rawlings sports complex which was built in 1994. The complex provides top-notch training and game facilities for baseball and softball. The Rawlings Foundation and Rawlings and Hoag family members also support a variety of academic and athletic scholarships at CSU Pueblo.
Board of Pueblo County Commissioners will be recognized for their contributions to student scholarships. Recognizing that higher education boosts the local economy and community profile, Pueblo County Board of Commissioners has supported events, programs and scholarships for more than two decades. Since 2019, commissioners have allocated nearly $2 million in scholarship funding for CSU Pueblo students.
Colorado State University System, comprised of three main campuses including Ft. Collins and CSU Global, welcomed CSU Pueblo into its family in 2003 and will be honored for its significant investment in CSU Pueblo’s future. In 2018, The CSU System has pledged $30 million over 10 years to enhance CSU Pueblo’s infrastructure and programs as part of the comprehensive Vision 2028 to establish CSU Pueblo as the peoples university of the southwest United States.
