Brothers Gerald “Jeep” Quinn Jr., a 1991 Indiana University of Pennsylvania management graduate, and Brian Quinn, a 1996 hospitality management graduate, and their spouses, Jennifer Thomas Quinn '94 and Rebecca Ruffner Quinn '95, have made a pledge that will not only honor their father, but help scores of IUP students.
The Quinn Keystone Legacy Trust of Westmoreland County pledged $150,000 to establish the Jerry Quinn, Sr. Family Scholarship at IUP for students at IUP from Greater Latrobe High School or from Westmoreland County.
“Both of us realized how much Indiana meant to us and how our experience at the university impacted our lives,” Jeep said. “Now that our children are in college, we realized our gift could have a lasting impact on students' paths.”
The Quinn brothers own and operate Keystone Foam Corporation in Derry, which was founded by Jerry Quinn, Sr., a self-made entrepreneur. Jeep and Brian Quinn are graduates of Greater Latrobe High School.
“Our dad taught us the value of hard work and dedication, but always stressed the importance of education. We established this endowment because we wanted to help serve students and their education in a meaningful way, plus honor the life of our father and his accomplishments,” Jeep said.
The Quinn family connections to IUP run deep. Brian and Jeep began dating their spouses at IUP, family members are employed at the university, three nieces and one daughter are current students, and another daughter will start courses in fall 2020.
“We see it time and time again: IUP alumni love and value their institution and the education it has provided to them,” IUP Vice President of University Advancement Khatmeh Osseiran-Hanna said. “This gift is just one more example of alumni who understand what happens inside our classrooms and how our students grow through hands-on learning and networking. They see this and know they want to provide the same kind of opportunities that they had to future students.”
The Jerry Quinn, Sr. Family Scholarship is part of IUP's $75-million Imagine Unlimited Campaign, which will enable IUP to step forward as a national leader by transforming the student experience through scholarships, program enhancements, and new and modernized facilities. Currently the campaign has gifts totaling almost $64 million.