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harry gessner
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WHO WAS HARRY GESSNER?
Computer science teacher Harry Gessner left his estate to students. He died of cancer in 1987 but is still educating through a scholarship fund he established at Egg Harbor Township High School.
Harry Gessner was dying of cancer. He knew it, and the staff at Egg Harbor Township High School, where he taught computer science, knew it. He would miss work days, or be there in a wheelchair.
“He started to come in a few times over several months to ask me generic questions about scholarships,” said Lynn Rosenkranz, now retired, who was the scholarship coordinator at the high school. “Eventually I caught on to what he was doing.”
When Gessner died in 1987, he left his entire estate in a trust for a scholarship fund that would be given to a graduate of the high school who has completed one year of college and is studying computer science or a related field. The scholarship is typically for $20,000 to $30,000.
“He really wanted it to go to someone who wasn’t necessarily the top student but who had a real interest in computers,” Rosenkranz said. “Remember, this was back in the mid-1980s, when computers were still in their infancy. Harry was a really low-key guy, but he wanted to nurture that computer kid.”
Art Marinelli, 74, retired athletic director at the school, worked with Gessner in the Boy Scouts and helped him as he grew increasingly ill.
“He was a very private man,” Marinelli said. “We’d take the kids camping, but he never talked about himself. I didn’t know about the scholarship until after he died.”
Guidance counselor Arlene Pustizzi worked with Gessner at Oakcrest High School in Mays Landing before they both moved to the new Egg Harbor Township High School when it opened. She said that since the scholarship is given to a graduate already in college, the staff must promote it to prospective recipients while they are still in high school. They then have to come back a year later to apply for it.
“Harry knew what he wanted to do,” Pustizzi said. “He wanted to be sure it went to someone interested in computer science. So we do our best to keep up awareness of it. Harry was such a low-key guy. But this is his legacy. Not too many people leave their entire estate to a high school scholarship.”
The above information was found in the Press of Atlantic City Archives.
Computer science teacher Harry Gessner left his estate to students. He died of cancer in 1987 but is still educating through a scholarship fund he established at Egg Harbor Township High School.
Harry Gessner was dying of cancer. He knew it, and the staff at Egg Harbor Township High School, where he taught computer science, knew it. He would miss work days, or be there in a wheelchair.
“He started to come in a few times over several months to ask me generic questions about scholarships,” said Lynn Rosenkranz, now retired, who was the scholarship coordinator at the high school. “Eventually I caught on to what he was doing.”
When Gessner died in 1987, he left his entire estate in a trust for a scholarship fund that would be given to a graduate of the high school who has completed one year of college and is studying computer science or a related field. The scholarship is typically for $20,000 to $30,000.
“He really wanted it to go to someone who wasn’t necessarily the top student but who had a real interest in computers,” Rosenkranz said. “Remember, this was back in the mid-1980s, when computers were still in their infancy. Harry was a really low-key guy, but he wanted to nurture that computer kid.”
Art Marinelli, 74, retired athletic director at the school, worked with Gessner in the Boy Scouts and helped him as he grew increasingly ill.
“He was a very private man,” Marinelli said. “We’d take the kids camping, but he never talked about himself. I didn’t know about the scholarship until after he died.”
Guidance counselor Arlene Pustizzi worked with Gessner at Oakcrest High School in Mays Landing before they both moved to the new Egg Harbor Township High School when it opened. She said that since the scholarship is given to a graduate already in college, the staff must promote it to prospective recipients while they are still in high school. They then have to come back a year later to apply for it.
“Harry knew what he wanted to do,” Pustizzi said. “He wanted to be sure it went to someone interested in computer science. So we do our best to keep up awareness of it. Harry was such a low-key guy. But this is his legacy. Not too many people leave their entire estate to a high school scholarship.”
The above information was found in the Press of Atlantic City Archives.
The Egg Harbor Township Education Foundation, Inc. is the custodian for the Harry Gessner Memorial Endowment. Harry Gessner was a teacher at the Egg Harbor Township High School and left his estate in trust to be used to for very specific scholarships. The endowment is manged by Wells Fargo Bank. Interested candidates must secure an application from the Egg Harbor Township High School Guidance department. The application must be submitted to Wells Fargo by February 1. Eligible candidates must be graduates of Egg Harbor Township High School who are attending college majoring in either computer science or engineering. The candidates must have completed 32 hours of study before applying. The candidates must also be residents of Egg Harbor Township. The endowment is presented in increments of $10,000; the total amount presented annually is at the discretion of the managing financial institute.