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Alan and Evelyn Finlay receive MU trustee awards

Misericordia University honored Alan and Evelyn Finlay of Dallas by naming them recipients of the 2009 Trustee Associates Award during the annual Trustee Associates Awards Dinner in Sandy and Marlene Insalaco Hall on Saturday, Oct. 17.

The award is given annually to friends of the university who have demonstrated outstanding dedication, service and generous support to Misericordia in its tradition of a strong liberal arts education through the values of mercy, service, justice, and hospitality.

The Finlays are loyal, ardent supporters of the institution, giving generously of their time, talent and financial resources to benefit students and Northeastern Pennsylvania, alike.

Since he was appointed to the board in 1999, Mr. Finlay has provided invaluable leadership and sound advice as Misericordia has experienced unsurpassed growth in regional and national prestige and record enrollment, and also transitioned to university status.

Together, Mr. and Mrs. Finlay have demonstrated outstanding dedication, service and generous support to the Misericordia mission. Both immigrants from Northern Ireland, there is a tell-tale brogue when Mr. Finlay speaks of playing rugby and field hockey as a student at the Friends’ School in Lisburn and coming to North America on a freighter at the age of 22, eventually settling in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Mrs. Finlay followed a year later and the two were married and started a family.

Mr. Finlay owned an insurance brokerage firm in Edmonton and, upon selling the company, a friend with roots in the Wyoming Valley asked him to join him in property development in Wilkes-Barre. The Finlays and their three children, Maureen, Wendy and Rob, arrived in the area just days after the Agnes Flood in 1972. Mr. Finlay’s first business venture was completing the development and operating the Provincial Tower complex in downtown Wilkes-Barre.

As head of Humford Equities, Mr. Finlay has overseen the property management company’s growth that has included development and management of a variety of commercial and residential properties, including shopping centers and office buildings throughout northeastern Pennsylvania.

Joining the Misericordia Board of Trustees in 1999, he lists among the highlights of his service the opportunity to bring Nobel Peace Prize recipient David Trimble, the First Minister of Northern Ireland, to Misericordia as commencement speaker in 2002. Recognized for helping find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland, Trimble has since been elevated to the British House of Lords.

The Finlays are the proud grandparents of six grandchildren: Heather, Andrew, Julie, Michael, Lauren and Ryan.