Southington Scholarship Fund Honors Stanek
Southington Community Leader’s Memory Honored Through Establishment of Scholarship Fund
Dennis J. Stanek, Sr., Memorial Scholarship Fund to Benefit Southington Children
Dennis Stanek, Sr., spent his life reaching out to others to lend a helping hand. Now his life’s work will continue in his wake with the establishment of a scholarship fund honoring the Southington community leader’s memory.
Friends and family of Dennis Stanek, Sr., who passed away last November at age 63 following a brief illness, have established the Dennis J. Stanek, Sr., Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain. The fund will provide scholarships to graduating seniors of Southington High School who participate in varsity sports and will attend the University of Connecticut, as well as “camperships” for Southington children allowing them to attend the Southington-Cheshire Community YMCA’s Camp Sloper.
“Dennis was a very giving person,” said close friend Brian Callahan of Southington, one of the fund’s founders. “Kids, sports, the University of Connecticut, the town of Southington – these were the things that Dennis loved. This scholarship fund is a great way to honor him.”
The fund was established with more than $30,000 in proceeds from the First Annual Dennis J. Stanek, Sr., Memorial Golf Tournament, which took place this past June at Southington Country Club, where Dennis frequently played.
Scholarships and “camperships” will be awarded on an annual basis by an advisory committee. The initial committee consists of Brian and Judy Callahan, Andrew and Fran Meade, Dennis Stanek, Jr., and Veronica Stanek, and Robert Morton. Andrew Meade is also a member of the Community Foundation’s Board of Directors.
Born and raised in Waterbury, Dennis Stanek, Sr., excelled in athletics and was a star guard for Crosby High School. He went on to play basketball at the University of Connecticut in the early 1960s, and eventually earned his MBA from UConn in 1970. He was a U.S. Army veteran, ultimately reaching the rank of 1st Lieutenant.
Dennis and his family settled in Southington and he became an active member of the community. He was a communicant of Mary Our Queen Church, a member of the Board of Directors for the former Southington Savings Bank, an incorporator of Bradley Memorial Hospital, and a past board member of the YMCA and the United Way. He contributed many hours for innumerable community charities in Southington, including the Joe & Kay Calvanese Foundation. At the time of his death, Dennis was a Senior Vice President for RBC Dain Rauscher.
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