Gabe Vitalone Leaves Legacy and Funds Scholarship with Charitable Gift Annuity

Dr. Gabriel “Gabe” Vitalone is a beloved William Paterson University professor emeritus and charitable gift annuity donor who was a vital member of the WP community for 34 years. He grew up in Yonkers, New York, and attended inner-city schools, which impacted his teaching experience at WP.

He was studying pre-law and serving in the ROTC at Fordham University when World War II began. He was activated by the Army and sent to officer candidacy school before spending three years overseas, part of it with General Patton’s 3rd Army. During that time, Gabe decided that he wanted to be a coach. He studied health and physical education upon his return to the States.

“I was fortunate because the government paid for my higher education,” Gabe says. “I wouldn’t have been here if not for the GI bill. I would have struggled through Fordham and eventually become a lawyer, and that would have been it. Because of the GI bill, I was allowed to coach and get both a master’s degree from Springfield College and a doctorate from New York University.” Now retired, he spent most of his career as both a coach and professor at WP.

In gratitude for all WP has meant to him, Gabe has established a charitable gift annuity that will fund a scholarship in his name and that of his wife of 67 years, Evelyn. “As I matured, I was looking to make an investment,” Gabe says. “Because of my age, there was a good return—and the CGA sounded like a really good idea. Someone helped me, and now it’s even more important with the prices of higher education to make the contribution closer to home.”

While at WP, Gabe developed a student teaching program to recruit students to work in the inner city.

“I once figured out almost 800 WP students tutored more than 2,400 inner-city children over 14 years,” he says. “The feedback I received from our students was all positive.”

Gabe encourages others to consider the legacies they could leave to support future Pioneers. “I love state schools,” Gabe concludes. “They are the best bargain in education, no doubt about it in my mind. It’s not a question of how much you give. It’s about getting used to the idea of giving every year. Once you get used to giving, it’s easier to give. Give back and you will never regret it.”