Berklee's Helping Hands
The Vivian Male Band raised $12,000 for the Sarah Vaughan Scholarship Fund. From the left: Jeffrey Lockhart, Rollins Ross, Langston "Skip" Smith, Lynette Gittens, Ray Greene, Vivian Male, Sean Skeete, Cleopatra Wilkins, Frank Wilkins, and Andre Ward.
On Friday evening, June 16 renowned Boston-area vocalist and Berklee Trustee Vivian Male presented a concert to benefit the newly created Berklee College of Music Sarah Vaughan Endowed Scholarship. Proceeds from the event, including sales that night of Male's CD, Our Day Will Come, exceeded $12,000. Vivian established the fund with fellow Berklee trustees Dolores Johnson and David Lee. Their efforts received early financial support from Berklee trustee and CEO of Newbury Comics Mike Dreese. In acknowledgment of the profound influence African Americans have had on the music that continues to define Berklee, the new fund will provide greater support for outstanding students at Berklee.
Berklee Board of Trustees Chair Will Davis and his wife Jessica were sponsors of the event as was Trustee Laura Bernard and Marsom Pratt. Performing with Male were many Berklee alumni, including musical director Frank Wilkins '78 (keyboards), Andre Ward '88 (tenor saxophone), Langston "Skip" Smith '77 (bass), and Sean Skeete '95 (drums), with special guests Rollins Ross '70 (piano) and Ray Greene (vocals). Also in the band were Jeffrey Lockhart (guitar) and Lynette Gittens '91 and Cleopatra Wilkins (vocals).
"The number-one reason that people give for not finishing at Berklee is that they could not afford to continue," said Male. "If we were going to make an impact, we must provide scholarships to ensure that young musicians have the financial support they need to complete their education at Berklee. This concert was a great opportunity for me to give back to an institution that I care so much about."
For information about making a gift to support Berklee's Sarah Vaughan Endowed Fund, call Marjorie O'Malley at (617)747-2569.
Trustee William Schultz Creates Endowed Scholarship Fund
William Schultz, chairman and CEO of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation of Scottsdale, Arizona, and his wife Mary Jane Schultz made a gift to the college to establish the Mary Jane and William Schultz Endowed Scholarship Fund. This fund will award scholarships to students with demonstrated financial need who are in good academic standing.
"Mary Jane and I believe in supporting students who want to go to college but cannot afford to," said Schultz. "We feel that Berklee is one of the best institutions for a music education, and are delighted to provide an opportunity for a deserving student."
Best of Berklee 2000 Concert
It was more than just a dream that kept Dale DeJoy '84 focused on producing a concert featuring Berklee performers at the Greenwich Odeum Theater in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. "I wanted the Best of Berklee 2000 Concert to make others aware of the talent at the college," DeJoy said. He began by developing a business plan, which included recruiting Berklee Music Business/Management students referred from the new Office of Experiential Learning, enlisting top Berklee student musicians to perform, securing a workable venue, arranging for transportation, promoting the concert, and securing sponsorship from local companies.
"I knew the music would be great," DeJoy said, "and that attaching the Berklee name would help to attract an audience. I was blown away by the outstanding musicians who performed and how professional they were."
DeJoy took the concert one step further by using the proceeds to establish an endowed fund in the name of his deceased father, George Angelo DeJoy. "Establishing a named scholarship fund in memory of my father made this a very special undertaking for me," he said. "I cannot wait to do a concert again next year."
