Matt Dominy ’65 is the 2025 recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award.
A Friend Indeed
Deeply grateful for an experience that he says transformed him, Matt Dominy ’65 has become a tie that binds his classmates.
When people speak of someone who is a “friend to Lawrenceville,” it’s often a shorthand reference for the good and generous work they do on behalf of the School. And it’s true enough: Friends will be there to do the hard things just as soon as they will be there for the good times.
And sometimes, the description extends well beyond the reciprocal relationship of an alum who repays the School for the transformative experience they derived from their time there. Sometimes, a friend of Lawrenceville is also the sort who will stop by your office or send an email with a funny or encouraging word, telegraphing that they are, indeed, just a regular old friend, too.
Matt Dominy ’65 is one who can be aptly described in any of the ways mentioned above. He has done the laborious work for the School, serving as a class agent for more than ten years, as well as on multiple reunion committees and on the Alumni Council. He’s given more than his time, too, as a member of the Red & Black Leadership, 1810 Loyalty, and John Cleve Green societies, and as the naming benefactor of the Matthew Dominy ’65 Prize for Music, presented annually to a graduating
Fifth Former who has made the greatest impact on musical life at the School.
Dominy’s Lawrenceville bona fides are unmistakable, which is why he was this year’s recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award, presented at Alumni Reunion Weekend 2025 at a ceremony inside the Kirby Arts Center. The prestigious accolade is conferred annually by the Lawrenceville School Alumni Association to a Lawrentian in recognition of exceptional efforts to promote the best interests of the School.
“When you have a job that you love, it’s not work,” Dominy said, “and that’s exactly what I can say about the last ten or twelve years.”
I’m so grateful for the education I got at Lawrenceville and for the friendships, some of which have lasted sixty years
Dominy also does the work that doesn’t show up on a recitation of his good deeds and magnanimity. He is that friend who is one of the first to send off a congratulatory email when he hears you have accomplished something notable. He is also that friend who extends himself personally to make you feel a part of his community. A man in possession of a great laugh and a keen sense of humor, he brings you in on the laughter and lets you know he appreciates you. He is that kind of friend who counts many of his own.
“I’m so grateful for the education I got at Lawrenceville and for the friendships, some of which have lasted sixty years,” he says, reflecting a sentiment that is shared with so many others.