John ’65 and Carole McDermott

For Connecticut natives John ’65 and Carole McDermott, their philanthropy is centered on personal connection and building a bridge to the future, especially through support of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs and students.

At the time John graduated from Merrimack, he opted to enlist in the Navy’s Officer Candidate School and served four years in the Civil Engineering Corps in the Philippines and Vietnam. That experience started him on a path of supporting the education of young Filipino students through PLAN USA. In 2013 after ravaging typhoon hit the Philippines, John and Carole — through the miracle of Facebook — were able to reconnect with and help one of the students their philanthropy had sponsored decades prior. “It has been so rewarding,” Carole says, “to know who you are helping and that you are making a real difference in someone’s life.

The McDermott’s other decades-long connection is with John’s fellow electrical engineering classmates from Merrimack. “We were a small group of about 15 and at the time we were there, Merrimack was a small place. Our connection to each other has just continued to grow through the years. Many of us get together for our five-year reunions and a few of us meet each year. Several of the spouses have become close friends as well,” McDermott explains.

As a Merrimack student, in addition to his studies in electrical engineering, McDermott was part of a service fraternity, participated in intramurals and was a Prefect in a dorm senior year. After the Navy, his career took him into IT and for the final 20 years, up to retirement, he worked for himself as an independent IT consultant.

The McDermotts now enjoy life in Florida playing tennis, engaging with the arts and traveling, though that has been curtailed by COVID-19. Both John and Carole are grateful for the superb education John received at Merrimack and have given back in support of the areas most important to them. As John states, “I’m so impressed with the way the College has grown and the progress it has made. We feel strongly that STEM is not only important for individuals to be able to follow their passions, but also for the country as a whole to maintain its leadership in technology.”

Through the years, the McDermotts have generously supported the engineering school at Merrimack. They have also established a planned gift through their estate to support Merrimack STEM programming and students. More recently, they have funded the John and Carole McDermott Scholarship Fund to provide financial support to a Merrimack student involved in one of the STEM programs. As they commented, “Our planned gift is important to create a legacy of support for STEM that will never go away. By also establishing a current use scholarship, we get to know who we are helping and the difference our scholarship is making today. It’s a win-win for us, really, and we hope others who are able will see the benefit of planned giving for the longevity of Merrimack and the difference it makes for the future of our country,” John concludes.

For more information, contact us at 978-837-5176 or giving@merrimack.edu.