A Massachusetts-based philanthropist provided generous gifts to recent graduates of a local community college.
Robert T. Hale Jr., CEO of Granite Telecommunications, revealed he was giving $1,000 to each graduate of the Quincy College during his commencement speech at the school's graduation ceremony on Friday (May 21), the Boston Globe reports.
Hale said he hoped the graduates would pass their gift on to others amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re going to give each of you $1,000 cash, right now,” Hale told the ceremony of more than 400 graduates. “The first $500, as I mentioned, is in the envelope entitled ‘Gift,’ and it’s for you. We’re proud of you. You worked your tails off to get here. Celebrate as you should. The second envelope, entitled ‘Give,’ is for you to give to another friend, family member, or an organization who in these times is struggling, who could use that a little more than you. Congratulations, Class of 2021!”
Graduates received their envelopes -- decorated by students at Quincy's Snug Harbor Elementary School --with their diplomas while walking across the stage during Friday's ceremony.
Hale also urged the graduates to take risks and follow their passions during his commencement address, acknowledging that his own journey has been met with disappointment, most notably a failed 2002 venture in a bankruptcy and the loss of 400 jobs.
“So I’ve been to the bottom,” Hale said. “I failed. And it hurts. But it doesn’t stop you, didn’t stop me. ... You’re leaders. You have persevered in hard times. Leaders take chances. Don’t worry about that. Failure will come. If you’re taking chances, failure will come. Don’t fear it, defy it.”
In April, Hale and his wife, Karen, donated $30 million to his alma mater, Connecticut College, to be put toward financial aid, athletics and campus infrastructure improvements.
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