A $10 million gift

Tuesday morning (Sept. 15) at Convocation, Jesuit president Fr. Vincent Giacabazi, S.J. introduced speaker Dr. Manuel Mon ’68, sharing some amazing details of Mon’s incredible life.

Following Mon’s uplifting presentation (click to view the video), Father Giacabazi stepped back to the ambo and shared another amazing detail: that Dr. Mon was making a $10 million gift to Jesuit High School!

The $10 million donation is the biggest in the history of the school!

“Dr. Mon’s journey to Jesuit began under circumstances very few of us can imagine,” said Father Giacabazi, who last month announced Jesuit’s $100 million Excelsior! capital campaign, of which $69 million has already been raised. “He was given the opportunity to attend Jesuit. What he did with that opportunity is extraordinary.”

Dr. Mon arrived in the U.S. from his native Cuba at age 12 in 1961, without his family (they would come four years later), as part of Operation Peter Pan, which helped children flee communist Cuba after Fidel Castro took power. He was welcomed into a foster home with the Grandoff family, quickly learned English, received a scholarship to Jesuit, became the 1968 valedictorian, earned a full scholarship to St. Louis University, earned a medical degree and Ph.D in biochemistry from the University of Florida, and for more than 40 years served as a pediatrician in the Fort Myers area.

“Dr. Mon’s life story is nothing short of remarkable,” said Jesuit’s development director, Nick Suszynski ’98. “His extraordinary generosity embodies the Jesuit ideal of being a ‘man for others’ and serves as a powerful example for the importance of giving back."

Joining Mon at Jesuit on Tuesday was his classmate, Dr. Frank Massari Jr. '68. The scholarship Mon received to attend Jesuit was through Angelina Massari Scholarship Fund – Angelina Massari was Frank Massari's aunt.

Now, 60 years later, Mon's $10 million gift will be earmarked for financial aid for Jesuit students.

“Transformational gifts such as these strengthen our mission and inspire us to pursue an even greater vision for the future, and gave us the confidence to announce an ambitious $100 million campaign goal.”

Dr. Mon’s impactful presentation Tuesday in the Chapel of the Holy Cross elicited a standing ovation from the student body, and Father’s follow-up announcement of the record-setting gift generated a second standing O.

To celebrate, following Convocation the Mothers' Club distributed donuts to the students on their way to 1st period.

“Jesuit is not just a school; you are receiving something very precious and rare here," Dr. Mon said. "You're receiving a formation that is preparing you not just to make a living, but to make a life that matters.

“I want to thank you for carrying the Jesuit tradition forward.”

Thank *you* Dr. Manny Mon ’68, for living your life as a ‘man for others’ and for your exceptional generosity to Jesuit High School! To view his video, click here.