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From left: Marty Walsh ’60, Samantha Lehmbeck ’18 and Frank Kilkenny ’60

Each year, scholarship recipients take time to write letters of thanks to the generous benefactors who make it possible for them to attend Saint Peter’s University. Sometimes, the connection goes a little deeper. That was the case for Samantha Lehmbeck ’18, the recipient of the Class of 1960 Endowed Scholarship, who had a chance to meet several of the donors who funded her award at a luncheon on campus in January. Marty Walsh ’60, who had been class president, was so wowed by Lehmbeck when they spoke over the phone that he requested to meet her in person. “Samantha typifies who we were in college: bright and self-confident,” Walsh said. “We’re so proud of her. She is a real credit to Saint Peter’s.”

Lehmbeck’s selection for the scholarship melds the best of Saint Peter’s University: a bright student, the spirit of cura personalis and dedicated alumni. Her father passed away when she was a freshman, leaving her mother worried about college tuition for her three daughters. The email notifying the political science major of the scholarship in fall 2015 was unexpected. An honors student and aspiring attorney, Lehmbeck still doesn’t know who nominated her for the award. “It was a very welcome surprise. I was thrilled because this will make things so much easier for my mom. It means so much to me that someone at Saint Peter’s said, ‘We need to help her out.’”

Led by Walsh and Frank Kilkenny ’60, graduates of the tight-knit class originally proposed funding the scholarship at their 55th reunion in 2015. When the call went out for contributions, the class responded generously and enthusiastically. While Kilkenny suggested $50,000 as a realistic target, the Class of 1960 has contributed more than $100,000 to establish the endowed scholarship.

Walsh called Kilkenny “the saint of the group” for getting the ball rolling on a scholarship that has meant the world to Lehmbeck. “It’s a real gift for my class to be able to help Samantha. For us, it’s an honor to visit Saint Peter’s and meet her personally.”