By Maroon & White |
With parents like Betty (nee Flinn) and Kevin Cleary (BA’57, BEd’58, MA’61), Stephanie Cleary, QC (BSc’86) was destined to love Saint Mary’s University.
“Dad was the Registrar when I was born and went on to serve as Secretary to the Senate until his retirement in 1999,” she says. “I was born a Husky and grew up racing around the halls of McNally!”
Kevin Cleary arrived at Saint Mary’s in 1951 to begin what would be the first of three degrees. The first in his family to attend university, he was an enthusiastic member of theatre productions, a talented inter-class athlete, and a proud trainer and manager of varsity teams.
“Scholarships played a huge role in helping him succeed and they’ve done the same for me,” says Stephanie, a Provincial Court Judge who lives in Fort McMurray with her husband and two sons. “Dad made a good living, but with five kids in the family, there wasn’t much money to spare.”
More than 30 years have passed, but Stephanie still remembers having tea with Joseph and Marguerite Hinman, donors of one of the scholarships she received. “I was so grateful to them that I decided to one day do my part for others.”
The opportunity arose in 1989 when her parents established the Betty Cleary Memorial Scholarship – now called the Cleary Family Scholarship – to support upper year Chemistry undergraduates. “Four of us ‘Cleary kids’ and six of my mother’s eight siblings graduated from Saint Mary’s,” says Stephanie.
“A family scholarship fund was the perfect way to give back and at the same time, celebrate the strong connection both of our parents had with the University. It’s so rewarding to see how small contributions can add up over time to create something significant for deserving students.”
