Kogut Brothers of New York Mills

After Joseph Kogut graduated from UB in 1966, he spent three years in the Peace Corps in Nigeria and Ethiopia. His specialty was rural development, focusing on fishponds in Nigeria and coffee plantations in Ethiopia. Following his return the United States, Joseph, a native of New York Mills, NY became a partner in Kogut Electric, a company founded by his father, Joseph, and uncle Peter (the original Kogut brothers from whom Joe inherited his diligence and entrepreneurial spirit), in nearby Utica. When he established the award, his brother Frederick (BA ’60), a retired Dean from the Division of Student Affairs at the City College of New York, said that Joe was passionate about economic development in rural and underserved areas in both upstate New York and Africa, and would have been both proud and humbled that an award in his name would enable UB students to have experiences similar to his. A third brother, Kenneth, BA ’64 had an outstanding career at Hamilton College in Clinton, NY as the Director of Financial Aid. All three brothers played football at UB and were members of the Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity.

Pictured Left to Right: Fred, Ken, Joe