Steven B. Currier Memorial Scholarship
Philip R. Currier '56 Scholarship Fund
Growing up, Phil Currier attended school in Wells River, Vermont, in a class of nine. As he said in his application to Kenyon, one factor which I had feared would detain me from enjoying the benefits of a college life was my lack of sufficient funds to finance four years away from home. My principal pointed out that if my marks were high enough and my school record showed promise I might be able to obtain a scholarship. For this reason my last two years in high school have been well spent, both in studies and in extracurricular activities.
Currier followed a blueprint for making the most of his opportunities at the College. He studied economics, joined Delta Kappa Epsilon, and participated in intramural sports. Upon graduation, he took a position as a marketing assistant at Procter and Gamble in Cincinnati, working in marketing of personal products. Following his proposed life plan, Currier retired as the chief executive officer and chairman of Sara Lee Knit Products in 1988. He intended to spend more time with his family, including his son Steven B. Currier ’82 and daughter-in-law Sharon Castle Currier ’82. But Steve died of cancer in 1996.
Kenyon was important to Steve for many reasons, not the least of which was that he met his wife there, says Currier. That’s why my wife, Jane, and I started a scholarship at the College. It was our way of restoring peace and calm, making the horrible experience of his death have some value. The Curriers began the Steven B. Currier Memorial Scholarship with an initial gift in 1997 and made incremental additions to the fund until it reached sufficient size to begin to support a student. A few years later, in 2003, they established the Philip R. Currier ’56 Scholarship Fund through a charitable remainder trust.
We chose to establish scholarships at Kenyon because I recognize that I would not have been able to have the life we’ve led without my scholarship to the College, Currier notes. I would not have had the advantages of a college education, nor the marketing experiences with such companies. Today, as in my day, there are students who don’t even think of going on to college because they can’t afford it. The Curriers gifts will secure the future for generations of Kenyon students. As Currier notes, The College has prospered in many ways, but we’ve had to watch pennies all along. This is both a good and a bad thing. We’ve managed to maintain and extend our good reputation, but Kenyon deserves more scholarships, more endowed professorships, and more facilities. Thanks to donors like the Curriers, the College can plan on achieving those goals.