Gateway Community College congratulates Humanities Chair Chester “Chet” Schnepf on receiving the Hofstra University George M. Estabrook Distinguished Service Award, which will be conferred in a ceremony on Dec. 7, 2014 at Hofstra Univeristy.

The honor is conferred for service to the University and outsanding professional accomplishments.

The Hofstra George M. Estabrook Alumni Association, Inc. (Estabrook Alumni) was formed in the early 1940s as an incorporated group to promote the interests and welfare of Hofstra. Today, the chartered group under the Hofstra University Alumni Organization, is focused on identifying and recognizing distinguished and outstanding alumni through award programs and establishing scholarship programs for deserving students.

George M. Estabrook was one of the founding trustees of Hofstra University. He also served as mayor of the Village of Hempstead from 1936-1941. As president of the Estabrook Construction Company, his firm was responsible for the construction of many of the buildings on the Hofstra campus as well as throughout Long Island. He was founder of the Franklin National Bank of Long Island and served on its board of directors until his death in 1954. George M. Estabrook was closely associated with Hofstra, its faculty, and its students in the University's formative years, and he holds a prominent place in the history of Hofstra University.