Lecture Hall Named in Honor of Ethel Lockman Newman

Ethel Lockman Newman graduated from Buffalo State (then called State Teachers College at Buffalo) in 1930 with a love for young children and a commitment to educating the next generation. She used her education to help her husband, Reginald B. Newman, build the NOCO Energy Corp., and to raise two sons and a daughter.

Her legacy continues at Buffalo State with the naming of the north lecture hall in the Bulger Communication Center as the Ethel Lockman Newman Lecture Hall, thanks to a $100,000 memorial gift from her son Reginald B. Newman II. The donation will endow two scholarships for All College Honors students majoring in education.

A naming ceremony, held on June 12 at the Bulger Communication Center, was attended by Reginald B. Newman II and his wife, Carol, as well as Buffalo State President Aaron Podolefsky, Provost Dennis Ponton, Vice President for Institutional Advancement Susanne Bair, members of the College Council, members of Buffalo State Foundation, and the deans of the university. 

Prior to the unveiling of the memorial plaque bearing Ethel Newman’s name, Podolefsky and Bair expressed their deep appreciation to the Newman family.  

“Ethel touched the lives of many students. And through this gift, she will touch future teachers and students,” Podolefsky said. “This is a transformative gift as it transforms the lives of young people.”

Andrea Guiati, All College Honors Program director, noted how quickly the program has grown over the past few decades to its current enrollment of 222 students.

“The program would not be in place without donors,” he said. “Thank you.”