****This story was compiled and written by Victoria LaFave***
Holy Name Catholic School and Holy Name High School—A Chesterton Academy are pleased to be the recipients of an endowed fund worth a total of $500,000.
In April, Ken and Patricia Gartland made the official announcement of the newly-created Ken and Patricia Gartland Holy Name High School Tuition Assistance & College Scholarship Endowed Scholarship Fund, a fund held by the Community Foundation for Delta County (CFFDC), an affiliate of the Community Foundation of the Upper Peninsula.
To kick off this new endowed fund, Ken and Patricia will guarantee each 2023 eighth grade HNCS graduate who is a Delta County resident and shows need—along with any incoming ninth grader from another Delta County area public school going on to attend HNHS—who shows need, a $2,000 scholarship to help pay for their high school tuition. They plan on continuing scholarships into the future for eighth grade graduates going into HNHS dependent on availability of funds and need. HNHS graduates will also be eligible to receive a scholarship to attend college or trade school.
“This is really amazing. I am so grateful to the Gartland family for their generosity, and impressed by their vision for Holy Name High School,” said Mark Surrell, headmaster of Holy Name High School—A Chesterton Academy.
As members of the first two graduating classes of Holy Name High School in 1958 and 1959, respectively, Ken and Patricia are proud to give back to their alma mater. Ken would also like to encourage all past HNHS graduates to donate back to the newly re-opened Holy Name High School.
“I believe that there are a lot of high school graduates—even their parents or grandparents—who could also give back to their alma mater through a trust or a scholarship,” he said. “I would like Holy Name High School graduates to join me in giving to the Catholic school.”
Cheryl Andzejewski, Executive Director of the CFFDC, noted that there is a misconception that a large amount of money is needed to start a scholarship. However, according to the CFFDC, a starting donation of $12,500 will fund a $500 per year scholarship in perpetuity, contingent on stock market performance.
Ken, who was also a member of the HNHS Board of Education from the 1960s through the early 1970s, described his philosophy of giving and why he donated to Holy Name at this time: “My favorite quote is, ‘He who gives when he lives knows where it goes.’”
“My education is from Holy Name High School—the Christian brothers,” he said. “That education gave me the opportunity to be in business, so that’s why I’m giving money to Holy Name. The Catholic education that I received made me a better person, and was a large factor in helping me run my businesses successfully over the years.”
The Gartlands have owned several businesses in Escanaba since 1962, with the Gartland sons currently owning these growing businesses. Ken reiterated, “We want to give back to the high school and to the people of this community who supported us over the years.”
Both Ken and Patricia believe strongly in Catholic education, having sent all seven of their children to Holy Name, along with many of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and feel that both the Catholic elementary and high school are needed in the community. “Holy Name High School really is a landmark in Escanaba,” Ken said. “Now, it will hopefully be here forever.”
Patricia agrees: “Our generations coming up need Christian values; these values are being lost, and we need them in the world today. Holy Name High School is where they’re going to learn the truth—and those values. That’s why I’m all for getting these scholarships going.”
Holy Name High School—A Chesterton Academy opened in 2021—the 50th anniversary of the original high school’s closure in 1971. The current school started with 12 students and has since grown to 19 students, with six graduating in the first senior class in the spring of 2024.
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