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CHASE SQUIRESFrom the will of a Belgian sea captain and his wife, both devoted Catholics, a new foundation will provide scholarships and aid foreign students.
ST. LEO - A long voyage at sea brought new wealth to a landlocked university.
Saint Leo University on Friday announced it had received the largest donation in the school's history: $2.5-million left in the will of a sea captain and his wife.
Born in Belgium in 1905, Capt. Gaston R. De Groote joined his country's navy, then the merchant marine, advancing rapidly and eventually moving to the United States in 1926. From there, university officials said, his career continued to bloom, and he retired in the 1960s as captain of the NS Savannah, the only nuclear-powered merchant ship ever commissioned.
But no matter his success, De Groote and his wife both wished they had been given the opportunity to earn a college degree as young people, said Francis Crociata, Saint Leo's director of large gifts.
Their love of learning and their devotion to the Catholic Church led them to create a foundation in their will. De Groote died in 1982 at 77 years old, and the foundation was triggered when his wife, Evelyn, died at 90 years old last year in Hillsborough County's Riverview community.
Crociata said the couple chose to give to Saint Leo because it is a Catholic university in their diocese.
Interest earned by the gift will provide scholarships in perpetuity, with an emphasis on attracting foreign students. A special provision asks that preference also go to students from the captain's hometown, Nazareth, Belgium, and from his church, Riverview's Church of the Resurrection.
Crociata said the university has only had two graduates from Belgium, and has never had a student from Nazareth. But, he said, he expects the donation may lure more Belgian students.
University president Arthur Kirk said the school has made an effort in recent years to reach graduates and friends of the school and help them remember the university in their wills.
"Most of us can give far more in our passing than we could ever give during our lifetimes," he said.
As the university continues with a 20-year capital improvement plan, endowments help ensure scholarship funds help deserving students keep pace with the cost of education, Kirk said.
The De Grootes' gift comes on the heels of the university's first-ever million-dollar gift, a donation by Dade City attorney Glen Greenfelder and his wife, restaurateur Gail Greenfelder.
Kirk said the leadership of large donors can often help others make similar decisions to give to the school.
"With Glen and Gail's gift and the De Groote gift, I feel very confident they will inspire others to make major contributions," he said. "They assure that all students of ability, regardless of their financial circumstances, can choose Saint Leo University."