New endowments help build for the futureA ‘fitting’ scholarship for children of heroes: Philip Fitting and his wife, Martha Hopkins, recently established a new scholarship fund at the University with an initial donation of $10,000 to help children of firefighters, police or enlisted military personnel attend the University.
“It was a combination of events and factors that came together that created the scholarship,” explained Philip Fitting from his Greenwich, Conn., office at Brookside International Incorporated, a private equity, growth and capital venture firm, where he is managing director. “My brother is a firefighter and we’ve had family members in the military. We know firsthand that money can be in short supply.”
Fitting noted that the events of September 11 also shaped the couple’s thoughts about creating the scholarship.
The scholarship is named after Fitting’s niece, Jennifer Corbett, who died of cancer when she was only 15. The endowed scholarship will be perpetual since only the interest will be given annually to needy recipients selected by URI’s Office of Financial Aid.
Martha’s family has deep roots with the University. Her mother was an alumna and her grandfather, Professor Robert DeWolf, taught anatomy at the school for decades. Martha graduated in 1981 with a degree in human development and family studies.
“I’ve been very fortunate,” said Fitting who graduated a year before his wife with a degree in finance from the College of Business Administration. “This is our way of giving back.”
By Jan Wenzel
Engineering new scholarships: Two College of Engineering graduates recently established scholarships at the University to make sure that future students have the same chances for success that they did. William R. Bisson ‘49, the retired president of Blackstone Valley Electric Co. and Gary S. Ezovski ‘72, president of Lincoln Environmental Inc. in Smithfield both endowed scholarships this fall.
“As a URI undergrad, I benefited from a scholarship without which I would never have made it through,” said Ezovski. “I funded my education myself, and I know how important it is to get any measure of assistance you can.”
Bisson recalled a bit of confusion during the early part of his URI education. “It was right after World War II and there were so many taking advantage of the G.I. Bill that we had to live in Quonset huts behind Rodman Hall for the first two years,” he said. “But we were all thankful we were there. Without the war and the G.I. bill, most of us probably couldn’t have afforded to go to college.”
After graduating, Bisson joined Blackstone Valley Gas and Electric - which later became Blackstone Valley Electric - and worked his way from the engineering department to the president’s office during his 40-year career.
“I derived a lot of success going to URI, and I enjoyed my time there. I want to make sure that everybody who wants to has an opportunity to go.” Bisson said he established the scholarship “to help students who would fall through the cracks if the scholarship money wasn’t available.”
By Todd McLeish
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