“What would Maddy do?”
That’s the pressing question journalists from across Maine ask every spring as they review applications to the Guy P. Gannett Scholarship Fund. They can be a tough crowd, but Maddy Corson’s warm heart always prevails.
Corson and her uncle John Gannett, who died in July at 100, established the fund 20 years ago to pay tuition and expenses for Maine students who dream of careers in journalism. Since then, the initial $3 million scholarship fund – MaineCF’s largest – has helped educate 133 students with over $3.2 million in support. Corson’s goal: Every Gannett scholar should graduate without debt.
Guy P. Gannett, Corson’s grandfather, launched his daily newspaper career in 1921 with the purchase of two newspapers he merged into the Portland Press Herald. Corson was in eighth grade when Gannett added her name to the newspaper trust, ensuring her role as a future steward.
By 1998 when the family sold Guy Gannett Communications, its media reach spanned several states with three daily newspapers in Maine and seven television stations. Funds for the namesake scholarship came from the Guy Gannett Foundation, which Corson’s grandparents established.
“He was passionate about newspapers,” Corson recalls. Every night at 5 p.m. Gannett sat in the bay window of his Cape Elizabeth home, any youngsters hushed, so he could read his newspaper before dinner. As a publisher, he expected his staff to “attack dishonesty, graft, and mismanagement of public affairs.”
Guy Gannett’s words still resonate, even as newspapers face challenging days ahead: “I have never regarded the newspaper as a piece of private property to be managed for mercenary ends; but rather as an institution to be managed for the public good.”
Guy P. Gannett switches on the new Hoe presses in 1948 at the Portland Press Herald building on Congress Street. Photo courtesy Portland Public Library Special Collections & Archives
Today’s Gannett scholars practice journalism across the country and around the globe. Some, including Nick McCrea, have planted roots in Maine newsrooms. Today he’s managing editor of The Times Record in Brunswick and serves on the scholarship review committee.
“The Guy P. Gannett Scholarship supported me through five years of college in two states, helping me earn two postsecondary degrees in the industry I love,” says McCrea. “This generous scholarship freed me to focus on improving my journalism without worrying about mounting college debt.” Through the scholarship, he adds, “I built relationships with people across Maine’s journalism landscape that continue to enlighten me a decade into my professional career.”
Maddy Corson has kept every scholarship thank-you note for two decades – a trove of heartfelt thanks, emotional stories, and passionate accounts of budding careers.
“It’s a huge legacy for these young adults to continue the journalism work,” says Corson. And, even if some change course, she’s proud knowing these well-educated Maine students “will go out into the world and do good.”
Your legacy, their future
In 2019, MaineCF awarded 1,512 scholarships totaling more than $4 million.
When you create a scholarship fund at the community foundation, you’re investing in Maine’s future.
“MaineCF works with its donors to build the legacy they’d like to leave for future scholars, whether it’s to honor a family member, a beloved teacher, or support an alma mater,” says Liz Fickett, MaineCF’s scholarship funds manager.
The foundation offers a wide range of scholarships to benefit students and match donor interests. MaineCF’s 661 scholarship funds support elementary school students to adult learners, and assist with private high school tuition, certificate and licensure programs, community college, four-year degrees, graduate school, as well as camps and extracurricular experiences.
What does it take to establish a scholarship fund? Our staff will walk you through options that start at $10,000 for a designated fund. All gifts to scholarship funds are tax deductible and the funds benefit from MaineCF’s investment expertise.
For more information, contact Liz Fickett at efickett@mainecf.org.
