This page is no longer being updated and remains online for informational and historical purposes only. The information is accurate as of the last page update.
For questions about page contents, contact the Communications Division.
After nine years as a member of the William W. Backus Hospital board, Richard H. Strouse ’70 has taken over as its chairman.
Backus Hospital has expanded continually since its founding in 1893 and now serves almost 250,000 residents of eastern Connecticut. The 213-bed nonprofit hospital is the only facility in the region that can receive, via medical transport helicopter, patients with severe injuries.
“We are midway through a four-year, $50 million expansion project,” says Strouse. “It’s been an exciting time to take over the board, in that I get to be involved in approving the various phases of the project and am responsible for leading the group in taking an overall, global look at everything happening due to the expansion.”
In addition to his work on the Backus board and his job as director of private and commercial development for CME Associates, Strouse is a board member for the local municipal golf course, is president of the Norwich Cemetery board, and is an active member of the Norwich Rotary.
“I love this work because I get to meet a lot of interesting people,” he says. “Working with community people that are involved in other aspects of business opens opportunities for everyone involved. You’d never meet those people otherwise. It broadens your area of exposure, your circle of friends. Most of all, it gives me the chance to use my career training and experience to benefit and help community groups.”
Strouse’s career has been in civil engineering, his major at Lafayette. His ties to the College run far deeper than the degree he earned. His father, grandfather, and great-grandfather also attended Lafayette. For many years his father, who died two years ago, was the oldest living alumnus.
Living in his fraternity for three years provided Strouse with many of his most treasured memories, and his classes gave him the foundation he needed to succeed professionally.
“They were good people,” he says. “And, in addition to a solid academic background, there was a lively social life. As I pursued my career, I don’t feel I necessarily used exactly what I learned in class, but it gave me the tools to learn and to become good at what I do.”