Three members of the Corwin family – all of whom graduated from Farmingdale State College and have deep roots in the community – have given a $25,000 scholarship to the Farmingdale College Foundation, to be distributed to Farmingdale students in need of financial aid.
The gift - which comes through the Corwin Family Foundation, Inc. – is what the Corwins
consider "pay back" for what they identify as some of the best years of their lives,
and which helped set the tone for their personal and professional lives right up to
the present.
The Corwins are Art Corwin '76; Pat Corwin Christiansen '64, former Deputy Mayor of
the Village of Farmingdale; and Carol Corwin Budinoff '71. Art's wife, Ann, was a
member of the Class of '78, and Carol met her husband, Bruce '71, at the College.
"We told President [John S.] Nader this is a gift for students in need," Art said.
"Our overall goal is to help some students graduate that otherwise might not be able
to. The Corwin family attended the school in part because it was within our means,
and the Corwin family wishes to give that same opportunity to others."
Pat Corwin Christiansen was the first Corwin to attend Farmingdale, which at the time
was known as the State University Agricultural and Technical Institute.
"My memories include watching the cows being milked and seeing the chickens and turkeys
running around," she said. "Our grandfather [who worked in the College's business
office in the 1950s] would come by every Saturday morning carrying a basket containing
milk and eggs, fresh from the College.
"My education at Farmingdale was affordable and invaluable, and in today's world a
solid education is more important than ever. Farmingdale State College provided that
quality education when I attended, just as it does now. I am grateful that our family
can help others achieve that which was given to us."
"We represent first generation college students," Art added.
Now the Corwins want to see students who are the first in their families to attend
college succeed – beyond their wildest expectations – just as they have.
