THE VISION ISSUE - City of Shaker Heights

Class Act
Paying it Forward to the Next Generation of Shaker Students
BY JENNIFER PROE
When the fun and frivolity of their
60th reunion were over, members of
the Shaker Heights High School class
of 1950 and January ’51* had an unusual
problem. Exceptionally good
cash management on the part of the
reunion committee resulted in an
$800 surplus. The funds could have
been carried over to the next reunion
quite easily. But the reunion committee
had a different idea: Why not take
the cash surplus and “pay it forward”
by donating it to the Shaker schools
Mission accomplished Not so fast.
After having met with a number of
current students at the High School
as part of their reunion festivities, the
attendees were deeply impressed by
the students’ talents and serious focus
on academics. They were also acutely
aware of the fact that the financial
needs facing many of today’s students
are far greater than the needs they
faced in their own days at Shaker. They
were determined to do more.
A group of graduates from ’50 and
January ’51 – led principally by retired
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas
Judge Burt Griffin - took matters into
their own hands and launched an appeal
to their classmates to turn their
modest contribution into a more substantial
class gift, known informally as
the Pay It Forward Fund.
Says Griffin, “When we started this
process, I thought if we could maybe
get 60 people to each contribute
$1,000, that would be a good goal. We
went so far beyond that goal, I could
never have conceived of it.”
People gave back to their alma mater
for a variety of reasons: nostalgia,
gratitude, a perceived sense of need,
or just because it felt good. Whatever
their motives, the members of the
Shaker Heights High School class of
’50 and January ’51 dug deep and
came up with an astounding collective
gift to the Shaker schools of more than
$200,000 – and it’s still growing.
Sue Starrett, director of development
for the Shaker Schools Foundation,
says, “There has never before
been a class gift on this scale at Shaker.
The response was quite simply amazing.
The gifts ranged from $25 to
$25,000, as well as several multi-year
pledges. We even had a class member
make a donation in memory of every
classmate who is no longer living. The
beauty of this gift is that combining
their donations into one fund, managed
by the Shaker Schools Foundation,
really magnifies the impact.”
*In those days, it was common practice
for high schools to enroll overlapping
graduating classes, holding one
graduation in June and one in January
of the following year.
Letters Were Sent,
Phone Calls Were Made
Although his classmates identify him
as the charismatic ringleader of this
successful campaign, Griffin credits a
concerted group effort of 15 to 20 core
members who contributed their time,
talents, and powers of persuasion to
the cause.
As you might expect from a class
that contains a host of movers and
shakers - including 11 members of the
SHHS Alumni Association Hall of
High school sweethearts Jane Blau,
June ’51, and Ron Grossman, January
’51, now celebrate 58 years of marriage
and three decades of Shaker students.
Photo courtesy Ron and Jane Grossman.
Although “not much of a student” while at Shaker Heights High School, David Gleason
(opposite page) was elected class president and excelled as an athlete. He credits English
teacher Grace Graham with his eventual success. Photo courtesy David Gleason.
SHAKER LIFE DECEMBER | JANUARY 2013 63