Embry-Riddle to Dedicate L. Gale Lemerand Auditorium
Daytona Beach, Fla., Feb. 13, 2001 -- The dedication of the L. Gale Lemerand Auditorium in the Capt. Willie Miller Instructional Center at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will be held Thursday, Feb. 22, at 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
 The naming of the auditorium honors local philanthropist L. Gale Lemerand for his gift of $500,000 to the university. Lemerand is the recently retired founder, chairman, and CEO of Gale Industries Inc., the largest insulation subcontracting company in the United States with sales in excess of $400 million. The company was acquired by Masco Corp. in 1995.
Lemerand is chairman of the Stonewood Restaurant Group, which is headquartered in Ormond Beach and has restaurants in Ormond Beach, Orlando, Jacksonville, Naples, and Fort Myers. Under construction are a second restaurant in Orlando, a second restaurant in Jacksonville, one in Gainesville, and two in Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
He is the chairman of Southern Title Co., which is headquartered in Daytona Beach and has 16 locations in Central Florida.
Lemerand was elected to Embry-Riddle's board of trustees in 1999 and serves on the development committee and the flight education and safety committee.
"I've long had a keen interest in higher education and aviation," said Lemerand, who has been a pilot since 1978.
The dedication ceremony will include remarks by Lemerand and by Dr. George Ebbs, Embry-Riddle president; Dr. Thomas Connolly, chancellor of Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach campus; Perry Fulkerson, Embry-Riddle's vice president for institutional advancement; and Mori Hosseini, president of Intervest Construction Inc. and an Embry-Riddle alumnus and trustee.
Built in 1995, the Miller Instructional Center is a state-of-the art lecture auditorium and classroom complex. Lemerand Auditorium, which can accommodate large audiences attracted by distinguished lecturers and special events, has advanced communications technology that allows those seated in the auditorium to watch events occurring elsewhere in a big-screen environment.
Lemerand's generous contributions to education have also funded a sports building and two scholarships at his alma mater, Escanaba High School in Michigan; a health and wellness facility at Daytona Beach Community College; a future athletic facility at Bethune-Cookman College; and the Lemerand Football Offices, Lemerand Athletic Center, and the new basketball training facility at University of Florida.
He supports local groups and charities such as Boy Scouts of America; Boys & Girls Clubs of America; Fore Kids, in association with the Children's Advocacy Center and the Police Athletic League; March of Dimes; and United Way of Volusia/Flagler Counties.
Lemerand's current appointments include vice chairman, board of trustees, Daytona Beach Community College; board of directors, SunTrust Bank, East Central Florida; board of directors, University of Florida Gator Boosters; and board of directors, WCEU-TV Channel 15.
In 1995 Lemerand was named Florida Entrepreneur of the Year in the construction and real estate division by Ernst & Young, Holland & Knight, Inc. magazine, and Merrill Lynch. In 1996 the Chi Chi Rodriguez Youth Foundation honored him with the Chi Chi Rodriguez Humanitarian Award.
For information about giving opportunities, please contact Embry-Riddle's Development Office at 386-226-6167.
Embry-Riddle, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, meets the needs of students and industry through its educational, training, research, and consulting activities. Embry-Riddle educates 23,000 students through the master's level at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., at more than 100 teaching sites in the United States and Europe, and through distance learning.
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