2015 Distinguished Service Citation

Stephen Gregg lived by the golden rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated. But he went further than that. He contributed substantially to the well-being of his community, and he always made sure others got the credit.

Coming from New Jersey to enroll at the college in 1976, he stayed in the Stateline area after graduating and established an impressive track record working in the college’s Development Office. During the 1980s, he raised the participation rate of giving from 27 to 57 percent, and gained the respect and trust of the alumni community across the country. After earning his master’s degree in urban planning, he transitioned to working for the city of Beloit.

As the city’s assistant manager from 1995 to 2010, Steve brought people and resources together to improve the community’s quality of life, and he did it with intelligence, good humor, and joy.

Steve was a friend and a neighbor to the college. He served on the Rock County Historical Society’s board, and led the Church Street Neighborhood Association.

He adored his daughter Lily.

In an interview with the Stateline News, Steve said his peak experience was “Anytime I see my daughter’s smile.” He also named his favorite movies. It’s a Wonderful Life was one of them. Like the movie’s protagonist George Bailey, Steve Gregg touched so many lives. At Steve’s memorial service five years ago, Hal Wilde, Beloit’s former vice president, asked the question: “How different would the past 20 years in Beloit have been without Steve working behind the scenes, Beloit College’s gift to the people of this city?”

Though we lost him unexpectedly and far too soon in 2010, Steve Gregg had a wonderful life, and so did the people who were lucky enough to have shared it with him. The Beloit College Alumni Association is honored to bestow its first posthumous Distinguished Service Citation to Stephen Gregg.