Sheila Menz addressed 16,701 attendees at the 2006 Syracuse University Commencement Ceremony.
Menz Serves as Commencement Speaker; Bing Honored
5/17/2006 8:23:43 AM | Women's Soccer
SYRACUSE, N.Y.- Sheila Menz (Webster, N.Y.) of the SU women’s soccer team was selected out of 12 University Scholars to speak at the 152nd Syracuse University Commencement Ceremony held Sunday, May 14 at the Carrier Dome in front of 16,701 attendees. Syracuse University awarded honorary degrees to five individuals of exceptional achievement in the areas of business, law, architecture, music and medicine. Among those awarded honorary degrees on Sunday was Dave Bing, a student-athlete at Syracuse from 1964-66. Director of Athletics Dr. Daryl J. Gross took part in the procession at the ceremony.
Menz, a triple major (newspaper, political science and international relations) at Syracuse, was selected as one of 12 University Scholars – the highest level of recognition an SU student can achieve. Three student-athletes were selected as 2006 University Scholars. In addition to Menz, Luk Boral (Poznan, Poland) of the men’s swimming and diving team and Greg Rommel (Syracuse, N.Y.) of the men’s lacrosse team were selected as University Scholars.
Menz started in 39 games and scored one goal in her career with the Orange and was voted as the 2004 and 2005 Verhulst Sportswoman of the Year by her teammates and was a 2006 Soladay Award winner. Menz is a Syracuse University Remembrance Scholar, S.I. Newhouse Scholar and SU Founder’s Scholar, in addition to being a member of the Sigma Iota Rho Honor Society. She has donated her time volunteering with projects such as Dollar Day at the Dome, Women in Communication and Success by Six book program. In 2004, Menz was a volunteer with the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG). For the spring semester of 2006 she has been working as an intern in the Office of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. This past season, Menz served as one of the Orange’s captains and was one of seven players to play in all 20 games.
Bing, chair of The Bing Group in Detroit, has lived a life of achievement as a star athlete, a successful businessman and a generous supporter of charitable causes and community organizations. He was a standout basketball player at SU, at a time when the men's basketball program was not yet a program of national renown. In three varsity seasons at SU, Bing averaged 24.6 points, earning All-America honors as a senior. In 1966, the Detroit Pistons made him the second overall pick in the NBA Draft and Bing went on to play 12 seasons of professional basketball, winning widespread acclaim as one of the all-time great players. He was named Rookie of the Year in 1967; selected to the All-NBA First Team in 1968 and 1971 and to the All-NBA Second Team in 1974, and received the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 1977. In 1990, he was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1996, he was named "One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History."
After Bing retired from the NBA in 1978, he went to work for a steel company in the Detroit area. Two years later, he started his own company, Bing Steel, catering to the auto industry. He managed to survive the slumps in the industry and grow his company into a diverse group of companies that have prospered in the highly cyclical automotive industry. Bing used his success and contacts in the auto industry to establish numerous programs linking business with community service. These include a program established with General Motors and minority suppliers to make car purchases more affordable for his employees; and the Detroit Manufacturing Training Center, a collaboration between auto manufacturers and minority suppliers to prepare people for employment in the automotive industry. Today, the Bing Group of Companies includes Bing Metal Group and Bing Metals Assembly; the company has more than 1,400 employees and gross annual sales of $372 million.
In addition to his business successes, Bing has been a strong supporter of many community and charitable organizations and programs, including a partnership with local churches and an equity partnership to build as many as 40 homes in inner-city neighborhoods, and a program sponsored by Freddie Mac and GMAC Mortgage to help his employees qualify for home ownership. In addition to his own programs, Bing has served and continues to serve on the boards of 17 not-for-profit organizations in the Detroit area and across the country.
The Syracuse University Orange Pack created the Dave Bing Basketball Fund in 1983 to honor this legendary player and man.
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