An Investment in the Human Capital of Lafayette
J. PETER SIMON ’75
It occurs to me after listening to Maurice (Bennett) that the
only thing more challenging than following him to speak, was lining up opposite him on the gridiron! So says Lehigh, anyway.
Tonight is a great night for Lafayette. It’s a great night because we see the best of Lafayette. The best of our talent.
The best of our achievements. The best of our generosity.
Maurice came to Lafayette on a Simon Scholarship. Dad endowed the Simon scholarships as one of his ways of giving back. He felt a tremendous love for Lafayette College that had done so much for him.
Just as importantly, he was a committed disciple of the free enterprise system.
Dad believed deeply that the integrity of the free enterprise system demanded that it must never be reserved for a fortunate few. It must be open and available to all.
He dreamed of the day when he would see young Simon Scholars from the minority community graduating from Lafayette and making their mark on the world. How proud he would have been of Maurice Bennett.
Maurice came from George Washington High School in Philadelphia as a highly touted football recruit. He did not disappoint. He is one of the best linebackers ever to don the maroon and white. He has played like a champion...and he has helped bring two championships to Lafayette.
But I’m just as impressed, frankly, by his leadership off the field: In his classrooms where he compiled a 3.65 GPA; across campus where he served as vice president of the Brothers of Lafayette; and on Wall Street where he’s already shown his potential on the trading floor for Credit Suisse
First Boston.
Maurice has a very bright future—he has limitless possibilities.
But it wouldn’t be possible if he had lacked discipline, or chosen the path that was easy.
Instead, he embraced challenge and accomplished what is hard. In
doing so, he has carried on a tradition of excellence that is the Lafayette way. When Maurice graduates in May, he will follow the footsteps of many great people of our past. People who have brought distinction to their names, credit to their alma mater, and a return on the investments
Lafayette made in them over a thousand-fold.
I’m talking about people like Pete Carril, Class of ’52, who spent
29 years coaching at Princeton, where he won 13 Ivy championships,
made 11 NCAA appearances and currently serves on the executive team
for the Sacramento Kings.
People like Anthony Furey, Class of ’83, former basketball captain, who went on to medical school, opened a clinic to serve poor communities in Columbus, Ohio, and today is a renowned cardiologist saving lives at Christiana Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware.
People like Angel Mendez, a student from Puerto Rico, who
graduated with a B.S. in electrical engineering in 1982, and today is
senior vice president of worldwide manufacturing at Cisco Systems.
People like Tinabeth Pena, a Pepper Prize winner in 1993, an athlete and successful entertainment executive.
And one of our beloved father figures, William Farinon, Class of ’39, who with his wife, PT, built Farinon Electric into a world-class manufacturer of microwave equipment—and then gave back to Lafayette by supporting major scholarships and funding the student center.
I could go on ... the list is endless; the lessons are timeless:
- First, there is no more valuable investment at Lafayette College than the $24 million we budget for financial aid.
- Secondly, there is no more critical part of that $24 million than the
$8 million that endows over 400 scholarships every year.
Think about what each of those scholarships represents. I believe they represent venture capitalism in its purest, most worthy sense.
We are each making an investment in the human capital of Lafayette’s future—and America’s future.
Human capital is the most precious and powerful capital. It yields the greatest returns. It is motivated minds and spirits that lift our sights that pioneer new technologies, discover miracle crops and cures, and extend
the limits of human mortality.
This is the business that we are in. We energize great plans and dreams.
Can you imagine a more valuable use of our resources?
I speak as one who feels a loyalty and love for this college that is
difficult to express in words. As the son of an alumnus, I grew up cheering for Maurice Bennett’s predecessors on Fisher Field. I learned how to think at Lafayette. I met the most important person in my life here my wife, Janet, and we graduated together in 1975.
We even named our dog Easton!
It’s fair to say that Lafayette College is the home of our hearts.
Through the years, there have been so many wonderful memories
including our commitment to this program—and not just the financial
commitment, but also meeting the students, encouraging them to
aspire, and watching them excel.
That’s what it means to Janet and me.
Remarks by J. Peter Simon ’75, Lafayette trustee and executive director,
William E. Simon & Sons, on March 31, 2006 at the Lafayette Scholarship
Recognition Dinner.
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