The Jacob, Leah ' 42 and Gail Aframe '68 Scholarship

Criteria: (One $2,000 award) The Jacob, Laeh’42, and Gail ’68 Scholarship will be awarded to a sophomore, junior or senior student majoring in Elementary Education with a strong first preference to students who have graduated from a public high school in the city of Worcester.

Laeh interrupted her career twice to raise two sons, Barry and Jay. While her sons did not adhere to Sir Thomas Moore’s advice to “be a teacher” and instead became lawyers, they compensated by marrying women, Gail Maleman Aframe, Class of 1968, and Myra Parelman Aframe, who were teachers and who taught in Worcester Public Schools.
Laeh had a lifelong passion for learning that she shared with her five grandchildren. While none have become teachers, three earned advanced degrees.

Laeh was proud of her school when it was Worcester State Teachers College and consisted of a single building. She was even more proud of today’s Worcester State University with its magnificent campus and state-of-the-art teaching facilities.
Jacob Aframe did not formally attend the University but Laeh, who was a very good student, often mentioned that without her then-boyfriend Jacob’s assistance with her science project—where she had to collect and identify all of the leaves indigenous to New England—she might not have graduated. That science project led to a marriage that lasted 65 years and ultimately to Jacob establishing this scholarship in her memory.

Gail (Maleman) Aframe was the first of her family to graduate from college, and she went on to become one of Worcester’s most beloved first grade teachers. The only thing that gave Gail more pride and joy than her students were her children, Jocelyn and Derek—both proud products of the Worcester Public School system—and her grandchildren.

Gail instilled a sense of self-confidence in every child that entered her classroom, and she particularly reveled in helping the mischievous ones succeed. A local celebrity in her own right, Gail could not visit the supermarket without a student excitedly whispering, “That’s Mrs. Aframe!”

Gail’s career began in Westborough, and after a stint raising her children, she returned to her beloved first grade, teaching at Mill Swan, Freeland Street, and Tatnuck Magnet Schools. Stepping into Gail’s classroom was like entering an amusement park of learning, the room bursting at the seams with books, educational games, and the colorful handiwork of her students.
Each spring, Gail would excitedly comb the Telegram & Gazette to see if a former student was named valedictorian, taking pride in knowing she helped him or her learn how to read. But her greatest gratification came in teaching those who struggled in school to experience the success and delight of reading. She had an innate ability, honed by her experience at Worcester State, to help those who needed it most, and that extended not just to students but to parents as well.

Gail developed lifelong friendships at Worcester State. Back then, students were seated alphabetically, and the five “M’s” became inseparable and continued to have fun together long after graduation.
Gail shared her love of Letters and Laughter with her husband, Barry, a lawyer. Together they made their family home, like her classroom, a place where learning was not just a goal but a genuine joy.