Holyoke Community College (HCC) in Massachusetts has announced an estate gift of at least $10 million from alumna Margaret (Laframboise) Wendlandt (’58) and her husband, Gary.

The largest single gift commitment in the college’s 77-year history will support student scholarships and help address the college’s greatest needs. Wendlandt attended what was then Holyoke Junior College with the help of a scholarship and, after graduating, went on to the University of Massachusetts and the Western New England School of Law to become the first HCC alumna to earn a law degree.

The Wendlandts’ previous gifts to HCC, which total more than $1 million, include support for the President’s Student Emergency Fund and two endowed scholarships administered by the HCC Foundation: the Peg ’58 and Gary Wendlandt Scholarship for students with financial need and the Peg ’58 and Gary Wendlandt Health Scholarship for students in nursing and health-related fields.

“Community colleges serve roughly 45 percent of all undergraduates in the United States and are deserving of our support,” said HCC board chair Robert Gilbert. “We are expanding access to higher education and preparing students for the workforce, and we intend to do that for decades to come. Peg and Gary’s estate commitment enables us to advance HCC’s mission well beyond any of our lifetimes.”

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