James H. Hatch to receive Pamplin College 2010 Distinguished Alumnus Award
James H. Hatch, of White Stone, Va., will receive the 2010 Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Pamplin College of Business at the college's commencement ceremony that begins at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 15, at Cassell Coliseum.
The college created the award in 1990 to honor alumni for outstanding career accomplishments and contributions to the college.
Hatch received a bachelor's degree from Lynchburg College in 1969 and a master of accountancy from Virginia Tech in 1972. He worked in public accounting for five years in Charlotte, N.C., before joining First Union Corporation, where he was promoted to corporate controller. He retired in 2002, after a 25-year career at First Union and a year after its merger with Wachovia.
A member of the Virginia Tech Foundation's board of directors, Hatch also serves the university as a member of the national campaign steering committee of the Campaign for Virginia Tech and provides leadership for the college's fundraising efforts as chair of Pamplin's campaign steering committee.
He is a member of the Ut Prosim Society, Virginia Tech's most distinguished recognition society, comprising alumni and friends whose lifetime giving totals $100,000 or more, and a member of the Legacy Society, established to recognize alumni and friends who provide for the university through their estate plans and other deferred gifts. In addition to providing for professorship, scholarship, and departmental endowed funds in accounting and information systems, Hatch has established an MBA fellowship fund and three college-wide funds.
Hatch, Pamplin dean Richard E. Sorensen noted, has provided exemplary service to the Department of Accounting and Information Systems Advisory Board and the Pamplin Advisory Council and has contributed substantially to Pamplin’s fundraising efforts through his leadership of the college’s campaign steering committee.
Previous recipients of Pamplin’s Distinguished Alumnus Award are: Henry Dekker (ACCT '44) in 1990; Cliff Cutchins (ACCT '44), 1991; John Peterson (ACCT '36), 1992; George Dickerson (BAD '41), 1993; Lloyd Sorenson (BAD '53), 1994; John Rocovich (GBUS '66), 1995; Charles Eaton (ACCT '53), 1996; Ann Spencer (ACCT '76, MBA '84), 1997; Charles O. Strickler (BAD '61), 1998; Gene Justice (BAD '54), 1999; Robert Digges (BAD '59), 2000; W. Denman Zirkle (BAD '60), 2001; Mary F. McVay (ACCT '78, MBA '81), 2002; Ben J. Davenport Jr. (BAD '64), 2003; Randy Thurman (ECON '71), 2004; Bridget Ryan Berman (GBUS '82), 2005; and Douglas C. Curling (ACCT '76, MACCT '77), 2006; Lynne Martin Doughtie (ACCT '85), 2007; James E. Sullivan Jr. (ECON '73), 2008; and Kimble Reynolds Jr. (MKTG '88, M.S./EDPE '95).
