Giving Makes a Difference: Anni Luneau ’87
Back in 2011, Keene State Today, the College’s alumni magazine, published a short piece about the Alta Lu Townes Memorial Dance Award, which is earmarked to provide recognition and financial assistance for the Dance Department’s top students, with special consideration given to seniors going on to graduate study in dance. At the time, however, the scholarships were in danger, as the endowment fund had not reached the $20,000 needed to guarantee enough income to award a scholarship every year.
Coincidentally, not long after the magazine found its way into alumni mailboxes, Anni Luneau’s birthday came along. “My husband was grappling with the realization that he hadn’t gotten me anything,” remembers Luneau, a 1987 graduate who was a student of Alta Lu Townes, the Keene State professor who started the College’s dance program.
Luneau’s husband, Christopher Parker (the couple met in law school), who had heard her frequently extoll the virtues of Townes, noticed the article. He actually came up with the idea of trying to create a permanent endowment for the scholarship, she remembers – starting with a donation in honor of her birthday. “He said, ‘I don’t have any professors from my undergraduate years and damn few from my graduate years who touched me the way she touched you.’”
Since then, Luneau and her husband have made several generous contributions to the endowment, including covering the expense of the annual scholarship for the next several years in order to let the endowment grow. Now, with the help of donors who made contributions to the fund in honor of the Theatre and Dance Department’s recent 40th anniversary performances of “An Evening of Dance,” an event founded by Townes, the Alta Lu Townes Memorial Dance Award Endowment holds over $50,000 in funds and pledges – more than enough to guarantee that the scholarship will be awarded annually in perpetuity.
And that’s a great tribute to Townes, who began her Keene State career as a lecturer in the English Department and then offered dance courses as she worked on an advanced degree in dance. “It wasn’t just about dance,” says Luneau of her mentor. “Alta Lu ended up teaching us about life, and how precious life is, and how sometimes in the midst of the worst, you have to celebrate.”
Luneau, an English major/dance minor, has been celebrating and advocating for dance and the arts, personally and professionally, since her days at Keene State. The New York resident has worked for the New York City Ballet, the 92nd Street Y (home to the Harness Center for Dance), and the Joyce Theater, and is currently Director of Institutional Advancement for PEN America.
“As a development professional,” says Luneau, “I have a firm belief that the most important part of what I do is to match an individual’s passion with a giving opportunity that provides them with the tangible, emotional, or philosophical benefit that means the most to them. As someone who had to put myself through school and who didn’t have the funds to travel for auditions, I like knowing that we are able to help a talented student get out in the world and try.”
There are many great students at Keene State who could use a helping hand—over 80% have expressed financial need. If you’d like to make a difference, please visit our giving page or contact Laurie Alden at 603-358-2372 for more information.
