When Albert B. Glassenberg passed away in 2017 at the age of 89, his family celebrated him as “a loyal son of New London… known and loved for his generosity to causes and people, work ethic, loyalty, bartending skills and lively sense of humor.” To memorialize that generous spirit, his children, Charlie Glassenberg and Jacquie Hemmerdinger, established a charitable fund at the Community Foundation, just as their family had done before by creating funds in their grandparents’ and mother’s names.

The Albert B. Glassenberg Fund will forever support causes closest to Albert’s heart. Along with the arts, his interest was in giving young people with fewer opportunities a better shot at success. That’s why annual grants from the fund support lower income students who are first in their families to attend college. Grant dollars help them meet expenses beyond tuition, such as books, computers, travel, clothing, and educational experiences related to study abroad, service-learning, field study, and internships.

Albert was an early supporter and former trustee of the Community Foundation. Through his fund, we know that he remains with us on the journey to create opportunities for all young people.

“Our dad was in the first generation of his family to go to college,” according to Charlie and Jacquie. “He was the son and grandson of immigrants who fled poverty, violence and hatred to build better lives. We are honored to help the next generation of young people from Eastern Connecticut to study and travel, and perhaps someday give back to the community the way that Albert did.”