Tony Coyne Awarded St. Ignatius Bellarmine Award
Tony Coyne ’78 was this recipient of this year’s Honorable Leo M. Spellacy ’52 Bellarmine Award which recognizes an alumnus for excellence in the legal field, promotion of fair and ethical principles in law, and exemplary service to Saint Ignatius High School.
Growing up the son of a Cleveland policeman, Tony knows the importance of being a lawyer and is passionate about representing the rights of everyday citizens. He describes the opportunities St. Ignatius provided him in life, as touching. He’s grateful for his success in the civil practice that has allowed him to make significant contributions to the community and transform downtown Cleveland’s public spaces.
To say that Tony is active in the community would be a gross understatement. Tony retired from his role as chairman from the Group Plan Commission in 2022 where he served as chairman for 16 years and remains on the Board of Directors, of which he has served for 25 years. He was instrumental in the revitalization of Public Square, the Convention Center and Medical Mart, the Flats East Bank, the Euclid Corridor, and University Circle’s Uptown.
Tony now serves as chair of the St. Vincent Charity Medical Center Board of Directors, joining during one of the hospital’s most challenging times. He is a board member of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy which seeks to improve quality of life through the effective use, taxation, and stewardship of land and is a former board member of the Ohio Canal Corridor which is the advocacy organization to complete the 100-mile Towpath Trail in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
In 2022, Tony was inducted into the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Hall of Fame which honors the outstanding contributions to the success and prestige of the law school by distinguished alumni, faculty, staff, friends and community leaders. He is the recipient of John Carroll University’s President’s Council Award, Cleveland State University’s Distinguished Alumni Award and Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs Dean’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
Having grown up in the Collinwood neighborhood, Tony saw the decline of the city firsthand. It was during his internship at the Center for Neighborhood Development, while attending John Carroll, that sparked his interest in urban development and he was determined to bring the city back to a destination that people wanted to live, work, and visit.
Tony’s passion for education, helping others, and improving the community is evident. This video is a tribute to Tony’s dedication to his family, career, and a city he was always destined to call home.
