Honorary Degree Recipients 2009

Drs. Donald K. Day and Karen Gruner
Professor Emeritus, Montgomery College, and Teacher, Beth Tfiloh Community High School

Dr. Donald K. Day has not only devoted years of service to Montgomery College as a highly regarded professor, but also, along with his wife Dr. Karen Gruner, has been a generous benefactor to this institution.

Dr. Day is a professor emeritus in the Department of Physics and Engineering at Montgomery College’s Rockville Campus. He continues to work part time at the College, advising and mentoring engineering students. In his nearly 40-year tenure at the College, Dr. Day has become a beloved mentor to legions of Montgomery College engineering students. He has helped his protégés acquire whatever support they need—financial, academic, transfer, and—emotional. He also has an impressive track record of helping his engineering students gain entry into some of the nation’s top engineering schools, including University of Maryland, George Washington University, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Georgia Tech.

Since joining the College faculty in 1967, Dr. Day has been instrumental in developing and implementing dynamic and advanced physics and engineering courses. He has written four successful National Science Foundation grants, has served as president of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) Collective Bargaining Unit, and has been the chair of the College’s Academic Assembly.

Dr. Day is a member of several honorary and professional societies including Sigma Pi Sigma, the American Society for the Advancement of Science, the American Association of Physics Teachers, and the American Society for Engineering Educators. He received a B.S. from MIT, an M.S. from University of Maryland, and a Ph.D. from The American University.

Dr. Karen Gruner is a high school physics, chemistry, and mathematics teacher. She also teaches astronomy, biology, and journalism, when needed. She has been in the classroom for 20 years. Dr. Gruner teaches all levels of coursework, from AP to on-grade learning disabled. She tailors physics and chemistry courses to meet the varied needs of her students. Dr. Gruner is committed to providing a quality education to all students of all abilities.

Dr. Gruner’s avocation is farming and logging with draft horses. She is an active participant in the sustainable agriculture-slow food movement. She founded the American Brabant Association and publishes their quarterly newsletter. Dr. Gruner has traveled to Europe to select Brabant horses for people to import to the U.S. She has raised and trained horses, donkeys, and mules for 20 years.

After she received an A.A. from Montgomery College, she earned a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D.
from University of Maryland.

Together Drs. Day and Gruner have demonstrated their commitment to Montgomery College by establishing both an annual scholarship fund and the Donald Day and Karen Gruner Endowed Scholarship. These scholarships support students majoring in physics, engineering, or mathematics at Montgomery College and students in those disciplines who are transferring to complete their baccalaureate degrees. They have also named Montgomery College as their sole beneficiary in their estate plans.

Drs. Day and Gruner, who have been married for 29 years, currently reside on a small hobby farm in Ijamsville, Maryland.

Mr. Douglas M. Firstenberg
Founding Principal, Stonebridge Associates, Inc.
Chair, Montgomery College Foundation

Mr. Douglas M. Firstenberg is a founding principal of Stonebridge Associates, Inc., a real estate investment and management firm. He is widely recognized for his expertise in strategic planning, project conceptualization, and major transaction negotiation. Under his leadership, Stonebridge Associates is sought after by both private and public sector organizations for their critical analysis and project execution.

For more than five years, Mr. Firstenberg has provided Montgomery College with the same unparalleled advice and guidance his clients and partners enjoy. Since being selected in 2007 as chair of the Montgomery College Foundation Board of Directors, he has worked tirelessly toward the successful completion of a number of important Montgomery College initiatives. As the chair of the Foundation Board’s real estate and entrepreneurial committee, he played a critical role in the bond financing for the development of the property that has been transformed into The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Arts Center. He also has contributed his vast experience to the Germantown Campus’s biosciences project, the expansion of our Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus, and to the presidential search advisory committee.

Although these substantial efforts speak volumes about his commitment to Montgomery College, Mr. Firstenberg and his wife Suzanne have also generously given of their personal resources on behalf of our students. These meaningful gifts, along with the incredible strategic expertise and talent Mr. Firstenberg has contributed to our most significant initiatives, set a wonderful example to others interested in investing in higher education in our community. Most importantly, they allow Montgomery College to maintain the margin of excellence that has made it one of the top community colleges in the nation.

Mr. Firstenberg also serves on numerous local and national boards and committees. He is on the Board of Trustees of Corporate Office Properties Trust (NY SE). He was a founding board member and treasurer of the NoMa Business Improvement District in Washington, D.C. He served on the Board of Directors for the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce.  And—as a faithful Duke University alumnus—he has served on the university’s Board of Visitors of the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy, the Executive Leadership Board of Washington, and the Duke University Club of Washington.

Mr. Firstenberg and his wife Suzanne live in Bethesda, Maryland. They have three children.

He received a bachelor’s degree from Duke University.

Montgomery College’s first honorary degree was established in commemoration of the 50th anniversary and was awarded to Milton F. (Sonny) Clogg, Esq., class of 1948, at the 50th Anniversary Convocation on November 20, 1996.

The honorary degree program was established to formally recognize contributors, philanthropists, distinguished friends of the College, and honorary speakers at commencements, convocations, or other appropriate occasions. The Board of Trustees approves each recipient eligible to receive an honorary degree. The degree honors people who have risen to a position of eminence, have acquired a national or international reputation in a selected field, hold a distinguished record of public and community service, or have made a notable donation of time, talent, or a gift to the College.