Mary and Chet Hurlie Endowed Scholarship

A Message from Kathleen Hurlie '77, '80MBA

"This endowed scholarship was established in the names of my parents, Mary and Chet Hurlie, to honor them, as they were the inspiration for the education of their 6 children (1 son, 5 daughters) – resulting in the first generation college graduates in their extended family. Given their financial situation, neither Mary nor Chet was able to attend college themselves (Mary had been awarded a scholarship to the College of New Rochelle but was unable to afford the “nylons” the women of CNR (an all-girls college at that time) were required to wear – and so she went out to work. Chet served in the Pacific Theater during World War II and upon his return to NY, while working, did take some college courses (at Iona) but the pressures of supporting his family required him to take on a second (and sometimes third) job and so he had to give up his dream of college). 

From a young age their children knew how important education was to Mary and Chet and that knowledge and the inspiration of their parents propelled five of their children on to advanced degrees (from some rather prestigious institutions – Iona, Duke, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania Law School, etc.) – each of them independently funding their education in various ways (loans, scholarships, work-study, and, in my case, working full time while attending evening school for both my undergraduate and graduate degrees). 

Further, Mary and Chet’s daughters were encouraged to pursue fields of study and occupations not typical for women of that era. As a result, they all worked in “non-traditional female” occupations. For myself, I was often the only woman in my undergraduate business courses and while my MBA courses saw a bit more representation, women were still a bit scarce. This followed into my career – where, as I “grew up” in the corporate world of finance (and then executive management), I was often the only woman at many meetings. This ratio has changed slowly over time but, in my opinion, additional growth is needed. 

And, so, this endowed scholarship was created to provide a first-generation female college student in the LaPenta School of Business with an assist in providing an education at Iona that will open the world to them."