WORCESTER, Mass. – Assumption College in Worcester has received the largest donation in its 104-year history, a $4.2 million gift to support the school’s Catholic intellectual tradition.
The donation came from Donald D’Amour, a 1964 Assumption graduate and former college trustee who is chairman and CEO of Big Y Foods Inc., and his wife, Michele, who oversees the independent supermarket chain’s educational partnership initiatives. The gift was announced May 5.
Part of it will be used to establish the Donald and Michele D’Amour chair in the Catholic intellectual tradition and to endow a distinguished speakers program that will highlight aspects of the Catholic intellectual tradition.
“Though many colleges and universities have lost their religious roots, Assumption College continues to embrace its Catholic identity and protect the integrity of its mission,” said Donald D’Amour in a statement. “Michele and I … consider this gift an investment in Assumption’s distinct high-quality offerings for its present and future students.”