Cranston High School East Class of 1972 Scholarship Fund

Fiftieth reunions celebrate a lifetime of friendships and achievements. When Cranston High School East’s Class of 1972 began thinking about its big event, the planning committee decided to take on a challenge that would preserve the spirit of their class forever.

“We thought, ‘why don’t we throw this in the ring and see if anybody nibbles and thinks this is a good thing.' Post-pandemic, people have been stretched financially. We didn’t know if it would resonate with anyone, but oh my goodness, people thanked us for getting it going,” says Gordon.

Now future grads will receive scholarships to attend public two- and four-year colleges; private two- and fouryear colleges; technical training schools and institutes; and schools of vocational training to support costs related to such education.

Jeff Renzi and Gordon Fraser were naturals to get the ball rolling. Jeff had created an endowment at his college alma mater Northeastern and Gordon Fraser spent his career in college fundraising. They turned to the Rhode Island Foundation because it had a proven model.

“When the idea came up of a scholarship fund it just felt like a natural, given our collective experience and the support of our classmates," Jeff explains. “We reached out to the Rhode Island Foundation because we wanted to set it up so it would be permanent as opposed to just raising money and handing it all out in the first year. Now we can draw on this year after year. If people choose to continue contributing in the future, the fund will be there.”

The duo got busy reaching out to alumni via the class Facebook page, which has about 250 members. Everyone jumped at the idea of creating a lasting tribute to their class.

“Endowments grow. That’s the whole point. It doesn’t matter whether it’s $25, $50, $100, $1,000. It all goes in the pot. And that’s how endowments grow over time. Money makes money,” says Gordon. “Cranston has changed. It is more diverse. I think everybody wants to help the next generation to keep the city strong and to give others opportunities that we inherited.”

Gordon and Jeff say growing up when they did made supporting the scholarship fund a natural for the Class of 1972. There was a commitment of giving back to the community that stemmed from the late 1960s and early 1970s. This was reflective of going beyond the initial goal of the scholarship fund.

“Our scholarships will not only make the students feel more secure in pursing education, but sometimes it will be what flips the switch. They’ll say, ‘Oh, I can do this,’” explains Gordon. “Money generates hope and education generates positive futures in the lives of students.”