Bruce Nolan '77 has always been passionate about giving back.
The Minneapolis resident – who retired five-and-a-half years ago after a successful career as a CPA – says that's a trait he attributes, at least in part, to his experiences at Saint John's University.
"I volunteered during my time at Saint John's," he recalls. "I've always had kind of a soft spot for the elderly. And during college, I'd go up to a Catholic nursing home in Albany once a week to play cards with the residents and speak German.
"I really enjoyed that experience a lot."
In all, Nolan worked as a nursing assistant in two nursing homes during his time at SJU. More recently, he has volunteered at Catholic Eldercare the past three years, and has also worked as a tutor at Sacred Heart, a Catholic grade school in Robbinsdale.
He has also made donations in honor of his mother Ann, who resided in the nursing home adjacent to St. Anthony of Padua Church in Minneapolis before she passed away.
"After my mother died, it really got me thinking," he said. "I've never married. I've never had children. I have a lot of nieces and nephews, a lot of whom went to Saint John's or the College of Saint Benedict. And they're all doing well for themselves.
These thoughts inspired Bruce to include Saint John's in his estate plans.
"I've been lucky enough to have a great life," he said. "And I decided I wanted to find ways to leave my mark."
One way he is doing that is by establishing an endowed scholarship in his family's name.
The scholarship will go to a graduate of a Minneapolis public or Catholic high school with a preference given to applicants who would be the first members of their family to attend college.
Nolan, the youngest of five siblings, was just the second member of his family to go to college.
"Only my older brother also went to college and he went to the University of Minnesota for engineering," he said. "I sort of assumed I'd go to the U as well. But he married a Bennie from the class of '65 and she got me thinking about Saint John's.
"I went on a tour and I fell in love with the campus. I visited for the first time in October, when the fall colors were at their peak. The campus was so beautiful, and peaceful. Then I met briefly with Fr. Donald Lemay and got my first loaf of Johnnie bread. I was hooked from that first loaf. In many ways, my time there were the best years of my life. I formed long-lasting friendships and I got a great education.
"The values that are instilled there have always stuck with me. And I want to see others have the chance to have the same experience I did."
