The Francis Crimmins Endowed Scholarship

Criteria: (Four Awards Equal to One Full Annual Tuition) The Francis Crimmins Endowed Scholarship will be awarded to a full-time undergraduate student majoring in Education who is employed at least part-time and lives off campus, with preference given to an individual interested in pursuing a career teaching mathematics at the middle- or high-school level. Applicants must provide a short essay attesting to their need for this grant and their interest in becoming a teacher and, when appropriate, becoming a middle-school or high-school mathematics teacher.

When Francis Crimmins’58, M.Ed.’62, C.A.G.S. enrolled at Worcester State Teachers College, his strong mathematical skills made him a natural fit for the math and science education major available at the time. He led the life of many of today’s hardworking students. He worked part-time when he was taking a full course load and full-time in the summer, and he lived at home to keep his costs down. In addition to taking classes, Fran served as treasurer of the Men’s Athletic Association his junior and senior years.

Following his graduation, Fran began a long career teaching math at various middle and high schools, including in Grafton, Framingham, and Yarmouth. He spent over 20 years not only teaching math to teenagers, but also trying to inspire them to like math. “It was a subject that girls in particular did not like. It took a lot of work to get them to turn the corner and see that math can be fun,” he recalled.

Fran also worked as a guidance counselor for a brief time, during which he co-founded a guidance program for middle school students, and led a middle-school math department for 15 years. Late in his education career, Fran became a co-director of Yarmouth High School’s Title V math and English program. He left the education field in the early 1980s to run his building and development company, Crimmins Associates, full-time.

In the early 1960s, Fran returned to Worcester State to obtain his master’s degree. He also attended the University of Massachusetts-Amherst to earn a certificate of advanced graduate studies in administration while he was working and raising two children, Michael and Kathy, with his late wife, Donna. A member of the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials for 15 years, Fran spent some of his spare time officiating high-school basketball games in the Local Board 26-Central Massachusetts territory.

Fran has fond memories of his days at WSU. “We had such a great group of friends,” he said. “It was a great experience.” Fran has reconnected with classmates at various class reunion, and has given back to the University in many ways since then. In honor of his 50th Reunion, he decided to reciprocate all the opportunities his alma mater afforded him by creating this scholarship.

Fran did so with the goal of rewarding WSU students who are planning a career teaching math, making him a contributor to the nationwide effort to increase the number of math teachers in public schools. “First and foremost, I would like them to be successful in life,” Fran said of recipients of his scholarship. “But I also hope that this will inspire a number of WSU students to fulfill their dream to become math teachers.”