Peter J. Fernald ’50 Makes $1.1 Million Gift

January 25, 2005

Peter J. Fernald ’50 has given more than $1.1 million to Wesleyan to endow a scholarship. The Peter J. Fernald Endowed Wesleyan Scholarship, in accordance with Mr. Fernald’s wishes, will be awarded to undergraduate students on the basis of “truly outstanding academic and intellectual promise.”

Mr. Fernald, a four-year scholarship recipient himself, recently expressed his appreciation for the scholarship and his desire to help others enjoy the same educational opportunities he received as a young man. He also stressed the invaluable role small liberal arts colleges play in educating undergraduate students.

“I like small liberal arts colleges,” Mr. Fernald said, “because they offer smaller classes, more individual attention, and the opportunity for students to establish personal friendships with faculty members. That’s something large schools cannot do.”

Although more than a half-century has passed since Mr. Fernald was a student at Wesleyan, he retains fond memories of several faculty members. Among these were Professors Fred Millett and Tom Henney, with whom he studied English, and Classics Professor Norman O. (Nobby) Brown. Mr. Fernald established lasting friendships with all three instructors.

“I certainly appreciated the fact that attention wasn’t just paid when you were in their classes,” Mr. Fernald said. “They committed to their students for a lifetime, and many corresponded with former students until the end of their lives.&rduo;

While Mr. Fernald applauds small liberal arts schools for undergraduate study, he encourages graduate students to attend large universities. He, himself, received two graduate degrees from Harvard University: a Master’s Degree in English and American Literature in 1956 and an MBA in 1959.

At Wesleyan, Mr. Fernald competed on the soccer and fencing teams, wrote for the Cardinal literary magazine, and belonged to Phi Nu Theta fraternity. He received the Winchester Prize in literature, was a four-year recipient of the Thorndike Scholarship, and was elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa.

After graduating from Wesleyan with high honors in general scholarship and distinction in English, he served almost five years in the Air Force, attaining the rank of captain. From 1959 to 1984, Mr. Fernald pursued a long and successful career with the research and consulting firm Arthur D. Little and the media-based Times Mirror Company, retiring as vice president of planning and development.