Not only did Paul and Elizabeth “Bunny” Hannaway make a college education possible for University of New Hampshire students studying health sciences, they also made possible a state-of-the-art teaching and learning space for all students and faculty in the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS).

In 2010, the Hannaways’ generosity gave rise to the Elizabeth and Dr. Paul J. Hannaway ’58 Scholarship Fund and the completion of the Hannaway Lecture Hall in New Hampshire Hall. The scholarship will support juniors and seniors in the College of Health and Human Services with a preference given to students planning a medical career. The lecture hall, the last piece of a New Hampshire Hall renovation that began in 2008, is a high-tech space that includes overhead video screens and accommodates some 120 students or guests.

Paul Hannaway graduated from UNH with a premedical degree in 1958. He earned a medical degree from Albany Medical Center in 1963, and went on to become a leader in the field of allergy and immunology. In addition to founding Asthma and Allergy Affiliates in Salem, Mass., Dr. Hannaway was an associate clinical professor at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. He served as president for both the New England Society of Allergy and the Massachusetts Asthma Allergy Society and authored five books on asthma and allergies.

Bunny Hannaway was as recognized in the fine arts as her husband was in the sciences. Born in Boston and raised in Swampscott, Massachusetts, she attended Garland-Simmons College, graduating with a degree in fine arts. A member of the regional art scene most of her life, she often painted scenes of Marblehead, from sailboats in the harbor to window boxes overflowing with colorful summer flowers along the town's quiet lanes.

Bunny Hannaway died in 2006 and was followed shortly by her husband, who passed away in 2007. While neither of the Hannaways lived to see the fruits of this particular gift, the Hannaways were honored by their family and friends at a June ceremony that marked the official opening of the Hannway Lecture Hall.

Notes CHHS Dean Barbara Arrington, “In these challenging economic times, creative planning and collaboration combined with the support of our alumni are key to our success. The renovation of New Hampshire Hall exemplifies these values.”