The Putting Others First Scholarship
The Putting Others First Scholarship will be awarded to a junior each year at St. Mary’s who exemplifies what it means to put others before themselves.
This theme of work ethic with the heart of a servant is the foundation on which Jerry built his life. Jerry grew up in Lancaster as the oldest boy of seven siblings and even spent a couple of his childhood years in Gabon, Africa. His parents sacrificed much so that he could attend St. Mary’s High School, and Jerry pitched in as well, waxing floors and cleaning chalkboards as part of the after-school and summer work crew programs. He was an avid athlete, playing key roles on the Cross Country, Track and Field, Football, and Basketball Teams, and he continued his running career long after high school ended, even completing a Boston Marathon. He was also the recipient of the St. Mary’s “Hustle Award,” which honored the athlete who put in the time and effort to better their respective program in any and all ways possible.
Jerry was a fixture around St. Mary’s during his time at the school, serving as a homeroom representative, member of the National Honor Society, and captain of the Track Team. His days at 142 Laverack Avenue provided him with a great foundation to go on to earn a BS in Petroleum Engineering with a minor in geology and hydrology. Jerry then went on to build a 36-year career in Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Thailand, and Indonesia in on-shore and off-shore oil and gas properties. Jerry worked for Chevron where he received the Chairman’s Award, presented technical papers on overboard water handling design to prevent oil slicks, co-authored a paper that was presented to the United Nations on reusing abandoned platforms, and was credited with the discovery and development of both on-shore and off-shore oil and gas fields.
It is because of the foundation he received at St. Mary’s that Jerry is investing back into the school through The Putting Others First Scholarship Fund. After being diagnosed with cancer, Jerry feels a sense of urgency to now give back to this great school, so it can continue to shape young men and women like it has for the past 120 years.
If you were a classmate of Jerry’s or feel like you too can relate to his story, please consider contributing to The Putting Others First Scholarship Fund. There is no greater legacy than helping a young person afford the best education possible – one that will nourish their body, mind, and spirit. YOU can make that difference today.
Thank you, Jerry, and thank you, Lancers.
Annual Giving
Each year, St. Mary’s High School faces several opportunities and challenges as we prepare our students for the future. The Lancer Fund, a program that allows graduates, families and friends to contribute to the school’s well-being, helps assist in this endeavor. The series of Annual Fund Appeals that we send are the foundation of our fundraising efforts. These gifts provide necessary funds to fill the gap that tuition alone cannot cover, in addition to helping to enhance academic programs and facilities to give our students the best educational experience possible.
St. Mary’s has come so far in the past five years alone, continuously cementing our place among the best private high schools in Western New York, in part because of the generous benefactors whose contributions allow us to continue to grow and innovate. St. Mary’s High School is preparing to enter the 2021-22 school year with over 430 students – the largest our student body has been in decades!
We have some ambitious things in store for the 2021-22 school year, which will continue to make all of our supporters proud to be Lancers:
We will continue to offer the highest quality, in-person educational program in Western New York five days a week. We are committed to this effort, as we were the only high school in the area to successfully complete an entire year of in-person learning, navigating in the unchartered territory of mask-wearing, testing, and social distancing.
As the 7th-ranked school in Western New York academically (out of 131 schools according to Buffalo Business First), we will continue to work with our students to help them get into the best colleges in the country.
We will connect our alumni, not only with one another, but with our current students as well, to gain experience in their potential fields.
We will expand our relationship with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres and the special program we created for their students, where they will attend St. Mary’s while also training at LECOM HarborCenter. This year, we will also have the only school-specific girls ice hockey team among all Catholic schools in WNY.
While we look back on these accomplishments with great pride, we look to the future with even greater anticipation and promise. We have created a committee to explore an academy setting, allowing our students to explore specific areas of interest, including business and finance, the sciences, healthcare, hospitality, as well as the performing arts and athletics.
Thank you for partnering with us so that St. Mary’s can continue to be a second home for generations of Lancers to come. We are excited for all the future has in store but know it is not possible without your support.
If you would like to give online, you can do so below…
