May 20, 2014
The Community Foundation of New Jersey congratulates Stephen Helfrich on his graduation from Boston College. Stephen earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Economics, and was an Honors Scholar in History.
Stephen was a recipient of the Austin Hooey Scholarship.
Austin Hooey, a longtime Chatham resident, had a major philanthropic impact upon her death in February 2005. One of the first female financial analysts on Wall Street, Hooey left $10.6 million to Cornell University for veterinary programs and $1.2 million to the Community Foundation of New Jersey for a permanent scholarship endowment for Chatham High School students. Remarkably, few had known of her wealth; Hooey’s attorney told the Daily Record at the time of her death, “you would never know she had a penny.”
The endowment at the Community Foundation was and is quite rare in that it is one of the few dedicated to students of a public school. The scholarship awards range from $5,000 to $10,000 per year for four consecutive years; the scholarship is awarded based on financial need, academic performance, and merit.