Remember Your Roots: Honor Your Heritage
Frank Maturo ’76
When he was in 8th grade at St. Lawrence School in West Haven, Frank Maturo ’76 was told by his parents he was going to attend Notre Dame High School. There was no discussion about it, even though his two sisters went to West Haven High. Frank’s mother and father told him to take the entrance exam and, assuming he got in, that is the school he would attend. Some of his friends were going there; other of his friends were not. However, his parents knew that is where he needed to be. They knew it was the place for him to learn the important life lessons he would need to succeed.
That is why when Frank had the financial resources to give back to Notre Dame he chose to do it by setting up the Phyllis & Vincent Maturo Scholarship Fund in honor of his parents and the decision they made for him. He knew how hard his parents worked to make the tuition payments, and even though it was not a lot of money in today’s dollars, as first-generation immigrant parents every expense mattered. He is grateful that they trusted the Brothers of the Holy Cross, teachers, and coaches at ND to educate him academically, athletically, emotionally, and spiritually.
After ND graduation and an All-State basketball career, Frank stayed local to attend Yale University and play basketball for the Bulldogs. He was attracted to business and a career in finance, but knew after a few years working he needed to get an MBA to enhance the opportunity to realize his dream of being on Wall Street. After graduation from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, he achieved that goal and spent the next 35 years working in the stock market and capital markets, advising CEOs and CFOs on taking their companies public in Initial Public Offerings and raising capital to help them grow.
Frank says, “Notre Dame laid the foundation. It taught me to be a team player. It taught me the resilience to handle the ups and downs professionally (and personally), to stay confident, be a leader, and have persistence. All the traits you need to handle a volatile market. My roots in West Haven developed my character and gave me the ability to take responsibility for myself and make the right judgments. My parents knew, and now I know, to never forget where you came from and who got you there.”
“Notre Dame needs to be that light on the hill for local New Haven area boys to survive and thrive in these challenging times. That is why it is important for me to give back to this community that meant so much to my parents almost 50 years ago when I entered and means so much to me today.”
