Kettering Education Inspires Siblings to Fund Scholarship in Parents’ Name

Scholarships

Kettering Education Inspires Siblings to Fund Scholarship in Parents’ Name

Larry Buggia and his three siblings didn’t have to attend ��Ƶ to recognize its value.

Their father, Lawrence ’51, provided a great life for them and put them all through college, thanks to the career preparation General Motors Institute (GMI), now ��Ƶ, provided him.

Grateful for the quality of life their parents gave them, Larry and his siblings, Mary Ann, Linda and Paul, established the Lawrence B. ’51 and Anna Mary Buggia Family Scholarship.

“My brothers and sister decided that we had done all that we wanted to do for our respective universities,” Mary Ann said. “Starting this scholarship at ��Ƶ proved exciting, as we firmly believe in the work-study concept unique to ��Ƶ. Our parents came from poor families that did not encourage advanced education, yet they found ways to better themselves without accepting those limits.”

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After high school, Lawrence enlisted in the Navy during World War II while Anna Mary entered the nurse cadet program. Lawrence used his GI Bill® to attend college when the war was over. With his degree, Lawrence worked for General Motors and served in the Army Corps of Engineers.

Larry said his father didn’t talk much about the classes at GMI but often spoke about his friendship with Harold P. “Dusty” Rodes, whom he met when they both worked in Ohio. Rodes later went on to become president of GMI from 1960 to 1976. Larry’s father also wore his GMI ring all of the time, which was passed on to his first great-grandchild. Larry said his father also spoke about the importance of what he learned during his co-op.��

“We all love the idea of the co-op program, and we’re all committed to that,” Larry said. “We think that really is the future of education. It’s so important.”

He said he would like to see other members of the Buggia family contribute to the scholarship.

“I hope to keep adding to it,” Larry said. “I’m trying to get others in the family to make it their charity. I would love to see it grow and grow.”