Bolger TKS

NMH Receives Largest Gift in Its History

June 2, 2006

It gives me great pleasure to announce that David F. Bolger, class of 1950, has donated securities valued at $10 million to Northfield Mount Hermon. He has asked that we use his generous gift to endow scholarships, establish a faculty chair, and support an endowment for Memorial Chapel. This is the largest commitment the school has received in its 126-year history, and it is a remarkable statement of support for what makes NMH important: the people and the spirit of the community.

A true philanthropist and longtime supporter of NMH, Mr. Bolger has donated more than $2 million over the past two decades to a wide range of projects including the Bolger Arts Center, the Moody Legacy Fund, and scholarships. He also helped underwrite renovations to a Beveridge classroom, Memorial Chapel, the Birthplace, and the Auditorium. He and a classmate, Richard Gilder, led a class gift of $5 million to renovate Alumni Hall. And he was one of the first financial backers of the move to one campus with a gift of $500,000. This year he made a significant gift to the Gulf Coast Scholars Fund, and he gave funds to replace the sidewalks that connect Memorial Chapel, Ford Cottage, and Alumni Hall. In addition to NMH, he has given major donations to many other humanitarian causes.

Mr. Bolger was a three-year senior who lived in Overtoun and Crossley. He earned his letter in swimming and also played tennis, football, and basketball. After his first semester at Mount Hermon, the assistant headmaster sent his parents a letter. “We don’t think David has any chance of success here. We suggest you save your money and keep him home after Christmas.”

Needless to say, his parents didn’t take that advice. Mr. Bolger graduated from NMH, put himself through college by working nights and weekends at a steel mill, and went on to phenomenal success in real estate, investment banking, and finance. “‘Stand by me’ was something I learned at NMH and has been the creed of my life,” Mr. Bolger said. “I feel it is my responsibility to be supportive and helpful to others in need.” Three of his siblings—William J. Bolger ’44, Betty (Agatha P.) Bolger Fleming ’46, and twin sister Barbara D. Bolger Collett ’50—also attended and have supported the school.

Mr. Bolger is continuing an important NMH tradition, begun by the school’s founder, Dwight L. Moody, of making sure financial need is not an impediment to an excellent education. By establishing a named chair, he is also recognizing and supporting the good work of our faculty. Mr. Bolger is a generous alumnus who has a talent for selecting projects that have had and will continue to have enormous impact on our students and faculty. We are extremely grateful for this very important and generous gift, and I am excited to tell you that The Wall Street Journal has recognized Mr. Bolger’s philanthropy in an article published today, June 2, about his gift to NMH.

Sincerely,

Thomas K. Sturtevant
Head of School

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