It wasn't all bad
Thanks to the late Harold Alfond, children born in Maine are now eligible for a $500 college tuition grant. Before he died last month at age 93, Alfond, founder of the Dexter Shoe Co., created an unusual education endowment. For every child born in Maine, $500 will be made available to parents who open a special account, to which they can also contribute. If the money is not eventually used for higher education, the $500, plus the interest it has accrued, must be returned. “I always like helping others,” Alfond, who never attended college, once said, “making sure everybody, especially children, have a chance in this world.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.