04/30/2016
Ken Classon ’71 and his wife, Louise, have set up an endowed scholarship fund for student-veterans in the Francis College of Engineering. Classon, who retired in 2014 after a four-decade career with the Bechtel Corp., credits much of his professional success to the civil engineering education he received at Lowell Technological Institute, a predecessor institution of UMass Lowell. And that education would not have been possible without the tuition support that Classon, who served in the Air Force from 1963 to 1966, received through the G.I. Bill® and from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
“I felt I had an obligation to do something positive for the university that helped me succeed as an engineer,” he says. “Setting up an endowed scholarship with Louise was an excellent way to support UMass Lowell and at the same time to help veterans.” The Classon Scholarship will be awarded to veterans enrolled full-time in the Francis College of Engineering, with preference given to students pursuing civil engineering degrees.
“UMass Lowell has 1,600 student-veterans, the largest number of any college in the state,” says Engineering Dean Joseph Hartman. “The kind of support that Ken and Louise are providing is one of the reasons why we’re also considered one of top institutions for military veterans.”
Applications for the Classon Scholarship will be available this spring. To contribute to the Classon Scholarship, contact Sally Washburn, director of development, at 978-934-4821.