Portland, OR. Pacific University paid tribute to one of its longtime trustees, Beaverton native and KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer, during the finale of Thayer’s highly successful Legends fundraiser held June 26 in Portland. Pacific University president Lesley Hallick posed with the KISS guitarist. Thayer has hosted the fundraiser since 2007, and this year’s event raised nearly $500,000 to launch an endowment in his name to benefit the university’s intercollegiate athletics and music programs.
Pacific University trustees Dan James ’87 (Bonneville Power Administration) and Tommy Thayer (KISS) join athletics director Ken Schumann at Pacific University Legends.
Pacific University Legends was presented by Pac/West, represented here by co-founders and Pacific University alumni Paul Phillips ’78 and Nancy Phillips ’77, MAT ’82. Nancy is a current member of the university’s Board of Trustees and Paul is a Trustee Emeritus.
KISS guitarist and university trustee Tommy Thayer performs with other celebrity musicians.
Trustee emeritus Dan Dutton (Stimson Lumber Chairman) joined Night Ranger/Damn Yankees frontman Jack Blades and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Danny Seraphine on stage to excite the crowd.
Bill Champlin, formerly of Chicago, was among the featured musicians.
Presented by Pac/West, guests of Legends 2016 thanked Thayer for 10 great years of support the event has generated for the university’s 24-sport NCAA Division III intercollegiate athletics program.
Approximately 150 invitees attended the Legends Finale, a one-of-a-kind dinner, auction and concert. The evening at Waverley Country Club commenced with cocktails and silent auction, and followed with a multi-course gourmet dinner, live auction featuring vacation getaways and much more, and signature concert that ultimately brought to a close the event’s successful run that began in 2007.
The intimate concert featured Thayer, fellow KISS bandmate and drummer Eric Singer, Night Ranger and Damn Yankees front man Jack Blades, Bill Champlin and Danny Seraphine formerly of Chicago, and Ed Roth.
Other celebrity attendees included Ladies Professional Golf Association players Kim Kaufman, Heather Bowie Young and Danah Bordner, who joined winning auction bidders and sponsors the following day for a private round of golf.
Over the past decade, Legends has consisted of a celebrity-filled two-day golf extravaganza for as many as 300 guests, to a more intimate evening of dinner and fellowship, with constant staples being the signature concert and auctions.
Over the years, Legends has connected thousands of Pacific University friends to celebrities from all walks of life. In addition to perennial guests Seraphine and Blades, other celebrities to have appeared at Legends over the years include KISS co-founder Gene Simmons, comedian George Lopez, NFL Hall-of-Famer Eric Dickerson, PGA golfer John Daly, The Doors guitarist Robby Krieger, music superstars Clint Black and Darius Rucker and professional athletes from the PGA and LPGA tours along with many more.
Funds raised at Legends have helped Pacific reinstate its football program to a resounding success, add a roof and state-of-the-art video scoreboard to Hanson Stadium, and provided equipment as well as enhanced competition and travel opportunities for all 24 athletics programs and all student-athletes. The Tommy Thayer Endowment for Music and Athletics will serve as a permanent fund to benefit students in both programs for generations to come.
For more information on ways to pay tribute to Tommy Thayer through the Thayer Endowment, please contact Pacific’s Office of Development at 503-352-2211 or email [email protected].
