By Wilson Conde
Back in 1962, Al Guenthner, a senior at Middletown High School (now Middletown High School North), was struggling to figure out how to pay for his first year of Concord College in West Virginia.
As Guenthner recalls, the high school helped him by sponsoring an interest-free loan that got him through his first few years of college education, and which did not have to be repaid until he completed all of his college studies.
“My freshman year in college was made possible by a loan that was made to me by the high school, and administered by the Atlantic Highlands bank,” he said. “I’m trying to pay back some of the generosity and goodwill that I received.”
Now in his early seventies, Guenthner, who lives in North Carolina, is donating $10,000 every year for five years – a total of $50,000 – to fund the creation of a new scholarship program for current and future students at Middletown High School North who show dedication to their school and demonstrate financial need.
The scholarship program is made of two scholarships awards: the Al Guenthner Wrestling Scholarship and the Al Guenthner Academic Achievement Scholarship. The wrestling scholarship will go to a junior or senior wrestling student who demonstrates sportsmanship qualities that stand out among his/her peers, while the academic achievement scholarship will go to a senior student who demonstrates other outstanding qualities.
Each award will be donated to one student, with a total of two students that benefit from the program. The scholarship is a one-time award.
“When I first heard that Al was going to donate $50,000 in five years, I found that to be unbelievable,” said Matt Sirchio, Middletown High School North’s wrestling coach. “I love the fact that an alumni of ours has taken time to recognize the importance of giving back to your roots. He recognized the importance of the North community in his life.”
Guenthner has never forgotten that he received numerous athletic awards during his high school years, including the Ripper Collins Award for football, as well as one for overall sportsmanship, and one for baseball.
After graduating from Concord College in 1966, Guenthner was a graduate student and teaching assistant at the University of Georgia for several years. Guenthner then worked as an economist for Wachovia bank from 1972 to 2000, and is currently helps professionally manage the financial assets of the charitable foundation for Novant Health, a North-Carolina based healthcare network.
Guenther said his role in creating the scholarship program is a way to pay all these successes forward.
“I had a somewhat successful life,” Guenthner said “So why not say thank you?”
For more information on the Al Guenther Scholarships, contact Middletown High School North’s Guidance Department at (732) 706-6061.
