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When Neil Sweeney ’50 met his future wife Beverly, it was an answer to his prayers. As an undergraduate, Neil regularly visited the Saint Mary’s College Chapel to pray and included a wish that God would help him meet the right person to marry. He found that person when Beverly, a student at Dominican College, attended a junior student mixer at Saint Mary’s in 1948.  “Sure enough, I met the right person on the Saint Mary’s campus!” Neil said. In 1951, the couple married in Beverly’s hometown of Hilo, Hawaii, and they celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary this past summer with their family, which now includes more than 60 with children and spouses, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

The couple’s eight children – Neil Daniel, Jr. ’87, Frances ’86, Tim ’85, Liz ’83, Matt ’82, Anne ’80, Joe, and Pat – six of whom graduated from Saint Mary’s, and one of whom works for the College – established an endowed scholarship to honor their parents for their 60th wedding anniversary. The Neil and Beverly Sweeney Family Endowment supports Saint Mary’s students with financial need, with a preference for children of alumni. “We wanted to keep the scholarship as open as possible for the College to use where it was most needed,” explained Neil’s daughter, Frances Sweeney ’86, Vice President for Mission at Saint Mary’s. She describes the scholarship as “deeply meaningful” to their parents, noting that her father’s career was in education – as a teacher, a principal, and a deputy Superintendent – and that her mother earned a teaching credential. “They were so touched by this gift,” said Frances. “My father, who is a stoic Irishman, was moved to tears.”

Frances said that her father loves to receive financial reports on the Endowment, and that their first conversation at their 70th anniversary celebration was about the family endowment. “An investment in Saint Mary’s and its mission is deeply significant to people of my parents’ era,” said Frances. “They are people of faith; they believe in the Lasallian Catholic mission of the College to help others realize their potential. They want to pay it forward, and to teach others about the traditions of the College.”

Neil echoes that sentiment saying, “As a family, we’ve been blessed with our lives and our children – all of our children are doing well, and it’s only appropriate to give back.” Through their own giving, Neil and Beverly have supported the College in many ways including gifts to athletics and campus improvements. In addition to an annual gift to his family endowment, Neil has also supported scholarships through the Class of 1950 Millennium Endowed Scholarship, which he and his classmates established in 2000 to commemorate their 50-year reunion.

The Sweeney family legacy at Saint Mary’s College continues to grow with 7 of Neil and Beverly’s 21 grandchildren and 1 daughter-in-law graduating from the College, and two family members also meeting their spouses at Saint Mary’s.

“Our Saint Mary’s community is blessed by its strong connections with legacy families like the Sweeney family,” said President Plumb. “Their commitment to the Lasallian mission of education for all, combined with their belief in paying it forward, is truly inspiring. We are deeply humbled by their generous support and the impact that it has on generations of students.”