Aili Galasyn addresses the commencement audience after receiving the Quinebaug Valley Community Merit Award.
Canterbury Resident Honored for Commitment to QVCC (6/14/12)
Canterbury resident Aili Galasyn, one of a group of area citizens who were instrumental in the planning for a community college in northeast Connecticut, was honored by that same college at its 40th commencement exercises on May 31. Galasyn was the recipient of the Quinebaug Valley Community Merit Award, given annually in recognition of extraordinary service or lifetime commitment to Quinebaug Valley Community College.
Over the years Galasyn has remained involved with QVCC, serving on both the Regional Advisory Council and the QVCC Foundation. Her commitment to the town of Canterbury – she lives in the house where she was born– includes serving on the Planning & Zoning Commission as well as the Northeast Regional Planning Agency, positions for which she was honored by the Secretary of State for her many years of town service.
Galasyn’s parents, like most Finns, instilled in their children the need for education. When she entered school Galasyn only spoke Finnish, yet she became the valedictorian of her high school class and graduated from college in 1952. Her longtime teaching career began in Stratford, moving to West Hartford, and eventually to the Dr. Helen Baldwin School in Canterbury.
According to QVCC President Ross Tomlin, “On the 40th anniversary of the founding of QVCC, it was a special moment to be able to honor Aili, who played such an important role in the college’s creation.”
