Generosity and Commitment Through Three Generations

Three generations of the Gipstein family share a generous spirit and a steady commitment to their community.

As a cardiologist, Dr. Edward Gipstein, age 102, not only helped hundreds of patients but also started (and for years directed) the medical education program at Lawrence & Memorial Hospital. His wife, Fuzzy, age 82, continues to curate exhibits at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum and elsewhere, give lectures, and promote the arts with boundless, contagious enthusiasm.

As Dr. Edward’s 95th birthday approached, his and Fuzzy’s sons and daughters-in-law—Rick and Myra Gipstein and Todd and Marcia Gipstein—pondered. “There was nothing he needed,” Rick says. They aimed instead for something to honor him and his life-long interests. “We wanted something local, and something that would last,” Rick says. 

They established a Community Foundation scholarship in Dr. Edward’s name, to aid students pursuing careers in fields related to medicine. “Education has always been important to my dad,” Rick says, “and he’s always been proud of his own education.” (He’s one of the oldest living graduates of Harvard College.)

For Fuzzy’s 80th birthday, the family expanded the scholarship to include her name and reflect her interests (which, Todd notes, are “in art, education, and helping people”). Today the Dr. Edward and Fuzzy Gipstein Scholarship is also open to students pursuing careers in the arts.

The Gipsteins feel that scholarship aid is especially important because so many young people and their families must struggle to meet rising education costs. They chose the Community Foundation because of their own experiences. Rick served on the Foundation’s Board of Directors and on its scholarship committee; later Myra served on the scholarship committee. “We know that the Foundation is very well run, and that it supports many worthwhile local programs,” Rick says.

Since the scholarship was established, family members (including Fuzzy herself) and friends have added to it. “We hope that the scholarship can keep growing in perpetuity,” Rick says.

Now a new generation is helping the community. Rick and Myra’s daughter, Sophie, a freshman at Fitch Senior High School, wanted to contribute some of her bat mitzvah gifts to charity (as her brother, Sam, a Fitch senior, had done a few years earlier with some of his bar mitzvah gifts). Sophie decided to help support the Mother/Daughter Nurturing Program, under the Foundation’s Women & Girls Fund. “That struck a chord with Sophie,” Myra says.

Sophie reads a lot, and often she reads about young girls, the problems they face, and the choices they make. “It’s really important for mothers and daughters to speak out about what’s going on,” she says. “When girls can talk with their mothers, they can make better decisions.”

During 12 weeks this spring, the Nurturing Program and its staff provided an opportunity for mothers and daughters to share meals, hear visiting speakers, and talk together about their hopes, their needs, their lives. Abbie Flaherty, coordinator for the program, says, “We’re building a foundation for these moms and daughters—for the girls to be able to talk to their moms and ask questions, and for the moms to listen, hear what they’re saying.”

Sophie likes hearing about how the Nurturing Program is working, and the whole family is delighted that Fuzzy and Dr. Edward can see their scholarship fund in action.  When recipients send thank-you’s or progress reports, Fuzzy writes back. “She’s touched and often awed by what these kids are doing,” Todd says.

The Gipsteins hope that others, including other young people, will see how effective—and enjoyable—it is to pitch in, to contribute, to help.