Giving
Opportunities & Outcomes
Dave Grosso '78
After a 35-year career in the United States Military, Dave Grosso ’78 continues to serve while living by this ethos: “To whom much has been given, much is expected.”
“The David Haights, Dennis Hollands, Gerry Connollys, Ed Baileys, and others at Derryfield, give us their very best, day in and day out, for the love of the profession and because they truly care about us as students, and in Derryfield’s case, as people,” he says. “Our teachers spend more time with us than our own parents do each school day. They teach, mentor, and help raise us--often to greatness!” Today Dave is doing his part to make sure the legacy of support and mentorship he received continues far into the future.
Dave joined us for the annual Derryfield’s Veterans’ Day assembly in 2016, orchestrated by Ed Lemire, and this event launched his re-engagement with the School. Seeing the campus, seeing the need, and seeing Mr. Holland all resonated with Dave. “When you come back to see the School all your memories come flooding back,” he recalls. “Giving back to Derryfield is only a partial return on all the School, its teachers, and my classmates taught and gave me. I may not have realized when I graduated from DS in 1978, how much my time at Derryfield would mean to me over the course of my life, but I certainly do now.”
When Dave learned about the alumni-led effort to name the basketball court in the new athletic and wellness center in honor of Dennis Holland, Derryfield’s first state championship coach and biggest sports fan, he stepped up to the plate. “It was an easy decision for me to give and to increase my gift to leadership,” he shares. “ We can’t take it (money) with us to the hereafter, so after taking care of family and self, why not give with enthusiasm and dedication to an enterprise which gave each of us so very much?” Doing so, Dave notes, helps Derryfield continue its remarkable successes at inculcating leadership, passion, and excellence in the students who will become tomorrow’s leaders.
While spearheading the effort to raise funds for the Dennis Holland Honorary Court with Sean Stone ’83 and Dave Larrivee ’84, Dave enjoys creating opportunities for alumni to reminisce, to hear and see the need, and to honor their mentors. It’s very fulfilling the way that Dave’s life of service to our country carries over to philanthropy, an enthusiastic goal that also led him to join Derryfield’s Alumni Council.
At this point in his life, Dave is looking for the best ways to honor those who have given him so much over the years. In supporting Derryfield, he has found a very special way to do just that. “Teachers invest their lives in us,” he says. “The least we can do is give back.”
“The David Haights, Dennis Hollands, Gerry Connollys, Ed Baileys, and others at Derryfield, give us their very best, day in and day out, for the love of the profession and because they truly care about us as students, and in Derryfield’s case, as people,” he says. “Our teachers spend more time with us than our own parents do each school day. They teach, mentor, and help raise us--often to greatness!” Today Dave is doing his part to make sure the legacy of support and mentorship he received continues far into the future.
Dave joined us for the annual Derryfield’s Veterans’ Day assembly in 2016, orchestrated by Ed Lemire, and this event launched his re-engagement with the School. Seeing the campus, seeing the need, and seeing Mr. Holland all resonated with Dave. “When you come back to see the School all your memories come flooding back,” he recalls. “Giving back to Derryfield is only a partial return on all the School, its teachers, and my classmates taught and gave me. I may not have realized when I graduated from DS in 1978, how much my time at Derryfield would mean to me over the course of my life, but I certainly do now.”
When Dave learned about the alumni-led effort to name the basketball court in the new athletic and wellness center in honor of Dennis Holland, Derryfield’s first state championship coach and biggest sports fan, he stepped up to the plate. “It was an easy decision for me to give and to increase my gift to leadership,” he shares. “ We can’t take it (money) with us to the hereafter, so after taking care of family and self, why not give with enthusiasm and dedication to an enterprise which gave each of us so very much?” Doing so, Dave notes, helps Derryfield continue its remarkable successes at inculcating leadership, passion, and excellence in the students who will become tomorrow’s leaders.
While spearheading the effort to raise funds for the Dennis Holland Honorary Court with Sean Stone ’83 and Dave Larrivee ’84, Dave enjoys creating opportunities for alumni to reminisce, to hear and see the need, and to honor their mentors. It’s very fulfilling the way that Dave’s life of service to our country carries over to philanthropy, an enthusiastic goal that also led him to join Derryfield’s Alumni Council.
At this point in his life, Dave is looking for the best ways to honor those who have given him so much over the years. In supporting Derryfield, he has found a very special way to do just that. “Teachers invest their lives in us,” he says. “The least we can do is give back.”
The Derryfield School
Located in Manchester, NH, The Derryfield School is a private day school for grades 6-12. Students benefit from a challenging academic program, fine and performing arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.