From the fall 2008 issue of UConn Momentum
Despite graduating from UConn in the same year, Barbara ’61 and Myron ’61 Dickstein never knew each other in school, but shared a commonality of humble roots that has fostered a lifetime of giving back.
Citing the support their parents gave their respective families, the couple has now made a gift of $100,000 to support student scholarships in the School of Business. Myron graduated with a degree in accounting, and credits his education for making his later success in business possible.
“I can now see that the main thing UConn did was open up doors that wouldn’t have been available to me otherwise,” he says. “When I think back, I pinch myself and say, ‘Wow, things really have worked out very well for us.’ But I think the cost of education can be a stumbling block for some families today. It could very well have limited what I ended up doing with my own life. So to help a student afford college, that really is the primary driving force for us to give back.”
Following stints at a “big eight” accounting firm and on Wall Street, Myron had a successful 40-year career in real estate development. While he considers himself quasi-retired today, he still manages the day-to-day ownership of some commercial and multifamily residential property in California.
Barbara has been by his side the entire way. In her own right, she is vice president/treasurer of Play For P.I.N.K., a charity that since 1996 has raised almost $16 million for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation through lifestyle sporting events nationwide.
“We had talked about giving to UConn for many years,” she says. “Our feeling is that if you can do something that truly makes a difference in someone’s life, you should do it. If we can support a student who really needs the help, maybe that person can come out of college into the world better prepared for his or her future.”
Both Barbara and Myron transferred to the Storrs campus; Myron attended UConn’s Waterbury campus to save money before transferring, and Mrs. Dickstein had been commuting to the University of Bridgeport while living at home. Individually, they both found a home at UConn in Greek organizations: Myron in Tau Epsilon Phi and Barbara in Phi Sigma Sigma. Myron says the connections made at UConn have lasted a lifetime.
“I hadn’t been on campus for a long time, but kept in touch with several of my fraternity brothers over the years,” he says. “We still talk about the good times we had, playing cards or going into Willimantic. And of course, I have watched the results of the UConn teams over the years. I have very fond memories of the University of Connecticut. You make your way through life, but you don’t forget the trip that helped to get you where you are today.”
For more information about supporting the School of Business, please contact the UConn Foundation's development department.
