Courtesy Photo Tim and Sue Fitzpatrick hold the 2023 Fellow of the College Award, which they received on May 11 at Alpena Community College’s commencement ceremony.

ALPENA — Alpena Community College is pleased to announce that Timothy and Susan Fitzpatrick haven been honored as Fellows of the College during the 2023 ACC commencement ceremony on May 11.

Longtime community supporters, the Fitzpatricks have operated a number of companies in the Alpena area, including Kentucky Fried Chicken, Bank of Alpena, WMCR, and River’s Edge Golf Course. They have achieved remarkable success in the business world and have leveraged that success to benefit the community in numerous philanthropic endeavors.

Both ACC alumni, the Fitzpatricks have been ardent supporters of the college and the students it serves. They are both committed to ensuring students have access to higher education in Northeast Michigan.

In 2021, the Fitzpatricks were at the ribbon-cutting of the Ruth C. Julian Hall of Health Sciences, a state-of-the-art health care education wing of ACC’s Van Lare Hall. The renovated wing was named for Sue’s mother, a longtime nurse in Alpena, and stands as a testament to the couple’s commitment to ensuring Northeast Michigan has high-quality health care providers for generations to come.

That project was followed by the construction of the Fitzpatrick Lecture Hall, a 50-seat multimedia theater-style classroom that was integral in enabling the partnership between ACC and Saginaw Valley State University to offer Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees on ACC’s campus.

Sue Fitzpatrick has been a longtime member of the Alpena Community College Foundation Board of Trustees, serving as its president for the past 10 years. Under her leadership, the ACC Foundation has raised millions of dollars to support the college and has provided scholarships for thousands of students.

In addition to supporting the college, the Fitzpatricks have been active in other community organizations, including the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan, Art in the Loft, Friends Together, Boys and Girls Club, and Trinity Episcopal Church. Their generous volunteer and philanthropic endeavors have improved our region by supporting health care initiatives, enrichment of the community through art, and provided a safe place for youth development. Together they have served meals to the hungry at Trinity Episcopal Church’s Sunday Supper soup kitchen and encouraged others in the community to donate and volunteer their time and talents to community nonprofit organizations.

Alpena Community College created the Fellow of the College award in 1972 to honor those who make outstanding educational, cultural, or economic contributions to Northeast Michigan.