Dr. Irv Fradkin, founder of Scholarship America

I have a confession to make: I love old people.  Really.  I think my grandpa and grandma are about the cutest things on the face of the planet, and I giggle about little old men and women the way some people coo over babies.  Anyway, my point is, yesterday I met one of the cutest little old men I’ve ever seen — but Dr. Irving Fradkin is more than just a pretty face.  Even at 90, while most people his age are well into retirement, Dr. Fradkin is still giving back to the community and helping young people across the United States have a chance at going to college.

I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Fradkin at a reception for several scholarship recipients of Scholarship America, the program he started in 1957 in Fall River, Mass. Here’s the short version of his incredible story: after realizing that many of the students in Fall River couldn’t continue their education further than high school graduation, he ran for the school board on the platform that if everyone in the tiny town donated even a dollar, they could help their students attend college.  Unfortunately, Dr. Fradkin was defeated in the election, but he didn’t give up.  His receptionist’s son told him after that loss, “I’m sorry you lost because people like me lost the chance for an education.”  Shortly after, Dr. Fradkin began collecting donations from individuals around Fall City and at his optometry practice, and Scholarship America was born.

In the 51 years since the program’s inception, Scholarship America has raised more than $2 billion and helped nearly 2 million students achieve post-secondary education.  Dr Fradkin proudly told me that last year Scholarship America programs generated nearly $200 million from corporations alone, and the organization has grown to more than 1,200 chapters across the nation.

What’s most inspirational about Dr. Fradkin is that even after half a century working to help American students attend college, he is still just as passionate about his mission as the day he decided to run for the school board.  He makes frequent calls to elected officials to share his ideas on education and firmly believes that “the greatest gift in any community is the minds of young people.”  As he told me yesterday, “I have three wonderful children, four grandchildren and five great grandchildren.  I have everything this country can give to someone” — which is why he continues to dedicate his life to ensuring that others have the same opportunities he did.

For me, it was never not an option to continue my education — I just always knew that I would be able to attend college, and somehow find the financial means to do so.  I did have plenty of student loans — it’s hard to avoid at a school like St. Thomas — and I worked my butt off, managing two or three part-time jobs, in addition to a full course load and extracurriculars, for four years to save up so I could pay them off when I graduated.  But my story is nothing like those of many of the scholarship recipients, and meeting them yesterday made me realize how much I take for granted.  Three of the recipients were first generation college students, and programs like Dollars for Scholars (a division of Scholarship America) made achieving a post-secondary education possible for them.  I was truly awed by the strength of these students whose journey to attending college was so much more difficult than my own, especially with the cost of tuition skyrocketing each year.

As Dr. Fradkin said, “It’s endless what people can do when you give them freedom and education.”  He’s right — and after seeing the excitement and passion in his eyes, I’m locating the nearest chapter of Dollars for Scholars today.  If he can maintain his commitment to helping young people achieve their potential for more than 50 years, the least I can do is donate.

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