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| Juliette Speck '99, left, and Lauren Smith '99 at the June fundraiser for the Michael T. Leary Memorial Scholarship Fund. |
It is fitting that alumni should learn about the newly established Michael T. Leary Memorial Scholarship Fund through an Internet newsletter because Michael T. Leary ’99 was an enthusiastic champion of electronic communications during his time at Providence College.
It is even more fitting that the endowed scholarship fund will benefit the next generation of computer science majors from Connecticut.
Michael, who majored in computer science at PC, worked in a number of positions before his untimely death in May 2005 at the age of 27. His last employer was Upromise, Inc. of Waltham, Mass., where he was a database programmer. The company helps families save for college.
The establishment of the Michael T. Leary Memorial Scholarship Fund was truly a labor of love for his family and friends. Together, about a dozen of them formed a committee and set about raising the minimum of $50,000 needed to establish an endowed scholarship.
The first lead gift was provided by Michael's aunt and uncle, Maureen L. and Harold Bornstein, who pledged the proceeds from an annuity.
A focal point of the scholarship fund efforts was a fundraiser this past June at Ned Devine’s, an Irish pub in Boston, Mass. Attended by about 100 people, the event raised $5,064 through ticket sales and raffles. Another $3,724 was donated by friends who were unable to attend the fundraiser.
“We were just overwhelmed by the amount of effort and energy that the committee exhibited in putting together this event,” said Jonathan DeFusco ’03, program officer for alumni relations in the Office of the Vice President for Institutional Advancement.
With the help of the nearly $9,000 in fundraising, the scholarship fund was endowed through a contribution of $42,000 by Michael’s parents, who live in Hamden, Conn. For 35 years, John Leary worked for the New Haven public school system, including 28 years as a principal. He is now an adjunct professor in the education division at Quinnipiac University in Hamden. Kathleen, his wife, teaches mathematics at Notre Dame High School in West Haven.
“Michael really and truly had a lot of people who loved him,” said Lauren Smith ’99, a friend, who is payroll manager at PerkinElmer LAS, Inc. of Wellesley, Mass. “It’s amazing how many people were touched by him.”