Richard W. Couper '44 and his sister, Kay Couper Watrous, were awarded Binghamton University's highest honor, the University Medal, in a ceremony on May 2. Couper and Watrous, the son and daughter of Edgar and Esther Couper, received the honor in recognition of their abiding interest in and steadfast support of their parents' legacy. Richard Couper is a life trustee of Hamilton.
Edgar Couper, president of a Binghamton insurance company, chaired the executive committee of the Southern Tier University Committee that was instrumental in bringing Triple Cities College, now Binghamton University, into the SUNY system. Edgar Couper served on the State University Board of Regents from 1961-1968, including a term as chancellor. He was a member of the SUNY-Binghamton Foundation and a charter member of Harpur Forum. Upon his death in 1988, the University's administration building was renamed the Edgar W. Couper Administration Building.
The ceremony preceded the 13th annual Edgar W. Couper Lecture, which is funded by the Edgar W. Couper Endowment Fund for Educational Excellence. This year's speaker was Andy Hargreaves, Thomas More Brennan Chair of Education in the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. The Couper Endowment also aprovides support for two Couper Fellows in the School of Education and Human Development doctoral program.
