NPC names Career Services Center after Tom Daniel Sr.
The National Park College Board of Trustees named the Career Services Center in the Student Commons building in honor of the late downtown businessman and public servant Thomas “Tom” Daniel Sr. Wednesday during the first virtual meeting in its history.
“NPC is proud to recognize the legacy of Mr. Daniel and celebrate his lifelong contributions to education and to the city of Hot Springs. We hope his efforts will continue to inspire generations of students for years to come,” NPC President John Hogan said in a news release.
Daniel, a city director and longtime member of the Hot Springs Advertising and Promotion Commission, died in November 2016 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
Hogan said the Career Services Center is critical for connecting students to the workforce through internships and job fairs, noting Daniel understood the importance of higher education and his legacy will forever support this aspect of the college’s mission.
“I’m always bursting with pride when a community member like Mary Daniel (Daniel Sr.’s wife) makes such a generous investment in NPC’s student success mission. It’s humbling that individuals give so generously to improve our quality of life,” Hogan said.
“The Daniel family wanted to honor Tom Daniel Sr. by naming the NPC Career Center in his memory because of his commitment to education. He was raised by a teacher
but left school early to enlist in the United States Air Force where he served for four years. While he was never able to attend college, his family said he was deeply committed to encouraging higher education. He served on many local scholarship boards,” the release said.
“He felt it was especially important to support quality educational opportunities within our own community. Our family felt this would be a fitting and ongoing tribute to our patriarch’s legacy,” his daughter, Janette Bales, said in the release.
“He never missed a chance to welcome tourists, educate them on Spa City history, and thank them for coming. He didn’t just love and brag about his hometown, he spent much of his adult life working hard to improve it,” Bales said.
Daniel started the annual holiday chili cook-off in downtown Hot Springs, later renamed the Tom Daniel Holiday Chili Cook-Off, which benefits the Downtown Association of Hot Springs and the maintenance of the downtown Christmas lights.
“He loved his career, especially delighting crowds with one of his perfectly timed and over-the-top fireworks displays,” Bales said.
“He felt such love and pride for his Spa City home, he strived to make it the best it could be for tourists and citizens alike,” his wife, Mary Daniel, said in the release. The Daniels were married for 24 years.
Nicole Herndon, the executive director of the NPC Foundation, said the college will be having a dedication ceremony when the college officials and students can join together again. Herndon is working with the family and they are hoping they can do the ceremony sooner rather than later.
A resolution approving the name change was approved during the Board of Trustees’ regular monthly meeting, which was held virtually via video conferencing software due to the coronavirus pandemic.