Holy Family University will receive $190,000 from a former Board of Trustees member.
For Carl and Elizabeth Gregory, family means everything. Holy Family University, that is.
Recently, the couple established the Carl F. and Elizabeth M. Gregory Charitable Trust, naming Holy Family University as the sole beneficiary.
“At the termination of the annuity period in 2028, all of the principal and income of the trust, more than $190,000, will be distributed to the University,” Holy Family stated in a news release.
Their bond with the university runs deep. For Carl, who was a Holy Family Board of Trustees member for more than 35 years, the connection goes as far back as his childhood.
His father served on the Board of Trustees. Sister Aloysius Sabacinska the second president of Holy Family, was Carl’s eighth-grade teacher at Nazareth Academy Grade School. He would later work closely with several others from the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth.
“Appropriately, Holy Family University means ‘family’ to me,” Carl said. “It is part of my family’s history and my history, starting with my education at Nazareth Academy Grade School (which is also an educational mission of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth) and through my service as a trustee for the board at Holy Family.”
Carl graduated from North Catholic High School and went on to serve in the U.S. Army, stationed in Germany from 1956–58. He received an honorable discharge.
He attended the University of Pennsylvania and the Drexel Institute of Technology and received banking certifications from the University of Georgia, Indiana University graduate school and the University of Southern California postgraduate school.
Carl led a successful 39-plus year career at Third Federal Savings Bank, holding the role of president, CEO, chairman of the board, and currently holds the title chairman emeritus.
Carl was asked to join the Board of Trustees at Holy Family in 1980 by Sister Lillian Budny. At the time, there were only about six members for the board, which now has more than 25 participants.
The family has contributed to numerous initiatives to give back to Holy Family, such as supporting capital campaigns and providing regular gifts to the athletic department and the scholarship ball gala.
“The contributions of the Gregory family to the growth and development of the university span multiple generations and have been significant in all ways from board service and advisement to philanthropy,” said president Sister Maureen McGarrity. “The Trust has the potential to influence the lives of our students for years into our future, both directly and indirectly and epitomizes the generosity and foresight as well as the commitment to the mission of Holy Family, which have characterized this relationship since its inception.”
Two of the Gregory children have graduated from Holy Family University.
The Gregory’s are passionate about the education provided at Holy Family and hope the school continues to grow.
“Students learn holistically because they are taught in an environment that not only nurtures them but also challenges them — this kind of environment leads to well-prepared, problem-solving professionals upon graduation,” Carl said. ••
