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DONORS' WATERBURY TIES BENEFIT UCONN STUDENTS
A couple who met while they were undergraduate students at UConn has committed $100,000 to support scholarships at the UConn-Waterbury campus.
Dorothy Bessette-DeSomma ’66 and Martin DeSomma, D.D.S. ’66 (photo, right, with Himank Gupta, a DeSomma scholarship recipient) have established an endowment to assist financially challenged students, a decision that they attribute to their working-class upbringing.
“UConn has helped us move through life, and it was a wonderful experience for both of us,” Martin DeSomma says. “Because of where we came from, and having developed a work ethic early in life, supporting students who have a financial need just makes sense.”
The DeSommas attended UConn’s Waterbury campus from 1957 to 1959, and met while serving on opposing parties in student government. They both graduated from Storrs in 1966, after Mr. DeSomma was drafted into the U.S. Army and had served in Europe for several years. Today, he operates a successful dental practice in Woodbury, Conn., and the couple frequently travels back to France for vacations. One of the couple’s children also attended UConn.
“We’ve been very lucky and fortunate in our life, and there comes a time when you have to think about others, not just yourself,” DeSomma says. “There are other people in this world besides us. In 10 years, I hope that our gift will allow young men and women to possibly gain their footing to get into the middle class. Hopefully they’ll use their education to do something productive for our society.”
Originally from the Town Plot section of Waterbury, the DeSommas believe that the University’s presence in the city was a major factor in their decision to give.
“The Waterbury campus is outstanding,” he says. “When I was growing up, Waterbury was a strong industrial town, with lots of different groups living and working together. Today, some of that has changed, but the campus, with the renovations, has become an even bigger boost to the city. We’re very impressed with what we see.”
RETIRED CANR PROFESSORS AID ANIMAL SCIENCE MAJORS
Two retired professors from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) who have made significant contributions to the field of animal science are helping students follow in their footsteps. William A. “Al” Cowan and Nathan Hale ’46, who funded a student award together nearly two decades ago, have established permanent endowed scholarships.
“I was fortunate to have Dr. Hale as a teacher when I attended UConn, and have known Dr. Cowan since that time as well. They have always demonstrated a commitment to student learning through their personal and professional commitments and through their generosity,” says Cameron Faustman ’82, associate dean of CANR and director of the Ratcliffe Hicks School of Agriculture.
The former professors created their new awards with planned gifts to the UConn Foundation. The W.A. Cowan Undergraduate Award in Animal Science was established with an IRA transfer of $100,000. Gifts of annuity and stock were used to establish the Nathan Hale Award in Animal Science.
Both new merit scholarships will be given to undergraduate students—with priority given to incoming freshmen—enrolled in either the two-year animal science program at Ratcliffe Hicks or the four-year program at CANR. Recipients will be chosen based on their accomplishments and leadership in working with livestock.
“In some instances [the scholarships] will make the difference between attending or not attending college,” says Faustman. “Equally important is that the formal recognition will provide affirmation to the students that their interests are valued and that the faculty is confident that they are the future leaders in animal science.”
Cowan and Hale left indelible marks at UConn. Cowan headed the animal science department for 32 years, and was beloved by students and faculty throughout his tenure. In the 1970s, he selected the champion cattle and horse lines that are the backbone of UConn’s current herds. Hale, who taught at UConn for 31 years, was given the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1999 by the CANR alumni association for his contributions to animal science.
