For Others

DR. PETER STONEBRAKER ’60 AND HIS SUSTAINING LOVE FOR GOVS

Looking back, Peter Stonebraker ’60 says it’s clear to him that his time in By eld de ned his path in life. “I owe much of what I’ve been in life to Govs and the teachers I had there,” Stonebraker recently shared, adding, “I learned to love knowledge at Govs, more than when at Bowdoin as an undergrad or while working on my masters and doctorate degrees.’’ Stonebraker’s thoughtful contributions to his beloved alma mater are twofold: Providing for today’s students and faculty, and also investing in the future of the school. Indeed, maximizing a return on these investments is part of Stonebraker’s philanthropic philosophy.

His most recent gift to support a solar power system for the new Bill ’67 and Peter ’71 Alfond Coastal Research Center scheduled to open later this year will not only underscore the building’s low impact on the environment, but will also further the Academy’s commitment to sustainability, and reduce energy costs for the school. e power system itself will be tied into meters on two nearby maintenance buildings where the panels will be installed. e panels are expected to o set the power on all three buildings. Estimates also show the potential for overages during some months that can be applied as a credit for other buildings on campus, providing additional returns on this investment for the school’s sustainability.

As for the overall project and launch of the Bass Institute, Stonebraker, a former college educator himself, recognized the signi cance for the school, in both the long and short term. “For me, it represents a ‘green- eld’ investment in an educational system that will continue to thrive twenty, thirty, forty years from now.” e idea that this facility and programming will set the Academy apart from many of its peers and move the school forward in transformative and exciting new ways is evident to Stonebraker. is is the second capital project Stonebraker has helped fund during the With True Courage campaign after supporting the renovation and expansion of the Peter Marshall French Student Center in 2020. Stonebraker has also contributed signi cantly to another pillar of the campaign—growing the Academy’s endowment for nancial aid with both current campaign gifts and establishing a planned bequest to a scholarship fund he established in his father’s memory.

When committing to the Alfond Center, Stonebraker also recognized the ideal timing that his gift would have by qualifying for the 1:2 Bass Challenge matching gift opportunity.