Few rites of passage are more memorable than walking across the stage at convocation to become a university graduate.

While earning a degree is an individual accomplishment, most graduates would agree they had help along the way. Friends, family and professors all play important roles in a person’s journey from student to alum.

And for some students, help comes from people they’ve never even met before, people like the founders of the Fry Family Foundation, whose philanthropic efforts have made a world of difference to hundreds of students.

Dr. Darryl Fry was born and raised in St. John’s, and he grew up in a family who understood and promoted the value of higher education. He earned his BSc at Memorial University in 1959 and would go on to become the first CEO from Newfoundland and Labrador to have his company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

While success in the business world was rewarding, Dr. Fry felt something was missing, so in 1996 he wrote a letter to Dr. Arthur May, who was at that time Memorial’s president, offering to endow five scholarships at Memorial.

Within a matter of weeks, the Fry Family Foundation was born. That single modest letter sparked a multi-million-dollar philanthropic mission that has supported more than 1,000 students at Memorial and across Newfoundland and Labrador.

 

Darryl Fry (Dip.Eng.’59, B.Sc.’59, LLD’97) speaks during a Fry Family Foundation event in 2020. Photo by Rich Blenkinsopp from Memorial University Archives.

 

Over time, Darryl and Marlene Fry’s foundation expanded into leadership awards, scholarships for engineering and business students and partnerships with Memorial’s Marine Institute, Botanical Garden, Centre for Social Enterprise and Genesis Centre for Entrepreneurship.

A project that began as a way to assist students financially has grown into an entire ecosystem that supports scholarships, internships, work terms, student leadership and community service.

Scholarships ease financial stress for students, and leadership awards encourage engagement beyond the classroom.

Through the Marine Institute’s MI Lead program, for example, the Fry family has helped weave community engagement into the fabric of the institution, connecting students to social enterprise and their own communities in meaningful ways.

This approach recognizes that a student’s success should be holistic. When academic achievement is paired with belonging, leadership and a sense of purpose, the student experience expands far beyond a university transcript. It becomes a part of a movement.

The Fry family’s philanthropic efforts are rooted in more than monetary gifts. They are creating a culture of opportunity and reciprocity at Memorial.

In 1997, Dr. Fry received an honorary degree from Memorial University. And for more than a quarter of a century now, he and his wife, Marlene, haven’t just given to Memorial – they have encouraged our students to dream.

As our university looks ahead to the challenges of retention, student support, work-term experience and global competitiveness, their foundation has established a groundwork that can turn financial barriers into stepping stones and community service into campus culture. They’ve created a blueprint for philanthropic vision with foresight.