Scholarship honors retired teacher's support of LGBTQ youth

MASHPEE — Long before Stan Samuelson died of COVID-19 in April 2020, he was an ally for LGBTQ youth and was often a "surrogate parent" to students who didn't have supportive parents, said Amy Mesirow, a Cape Cod Pride and PFLAG member.

"It was important for children to know that there was an adult that told them it’s ok to be who they are," Mesirow said. "To listen to them, and provide a sense of stability and safety. That was Stan."

After roughly 32 years as a math teacher at Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, Samuelson retired to Mashpee along with his wife, Elinor Saltz, and volunteered as a Cape Cod Pride liaison to gay straight student alliance organizations in Cape Cod high schools. Samuelson also volunteered at the Boys & Girls Club in Mashpee and Habitat for Humanity. 

Because of his service to LGBTQ communities on the Cape, a scholarship in Samuelson's honor was created in 2020 after his death, said Susan Wilson, chair of the Stan Samuelson Scholarship Committee.

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"Stan was a staunch ally of the LGBTQ community and was very devoted to many causes on the Cape," Wilson said. "He was committed."

Each year, the fund provides two $2,000 scholarships to graduating high school seniors who plan to further their education and are committed to promoting LGBTQ+ equality through community service, Wilson said.

Two scholarships awarded in 2022

In 2022, out of 27 applications, Skyla Rimple of Mashpee Middle-High School and Ana Santos of St. John Paul II School in Hyannis were recipients of Stan Samuelson Scholarships.

"There were so many amazing students that applied," Wilson said.

Santos identifies as queer and Latin X, according to a press release, and plans to attend Oberlin College and Conservatory in Ohio.

Throughout her school years, Santos was a Girl Scout, a volunteer at Duffy Health Center, a No Place for Hate student representative and an environmental justice intern with Green Roots, Inc. During a global leadership conference, Santos realized she hoped to be an LGBTQI+ health advocate with a focus on underserved communities.

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Rimple will attend the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to being a Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women Unsung Heroine, Rimple was also involved in Reading to Kids, and the Shamrock Foundation's Playbook Initiative. Rimple was a Project 351 representative and a five-year leader of service projects for Cradles to Crayons and the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund.

In a press release, Rimple said "serving is a privilege," and her love for humanity is what led her to pursue a career in public service.

"A pursuit for equality is so organic that it exists in every factor of my identity," she said.

Wilson said both graduates were recognized for their service and advocacy for social justice and human rights, and, in particular LGBTQ rights, at their schools and in the greater community.

"It's important to recognize high school students who promote LGBTQ equality for all," Wilson said. "Those who are willing to give back to the community and participate in community service like Stan did."

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Marlene Samuelson, Stan Samuelson's sister and also a member of the scholarship committee, said her brother would have loved the idea of a scholarship.

"Service was a lot of what he was about and in retirement he gave a lot to Cape Cod," Marlene Samuelson said. "From Cape Cod Pride to PFLAG — you name it — he showed his commitment to service and human rights."

Scholarship changes hands in 2022

The scholarship was created by Cape Cod Pride organizers in 2020, but the group had limited ability to manage the fund's finances. In 2021 the Cape Cod Foundation took charge of it. Wilson, who stepped down as president of Cape Cod Pride in 2020, said the move allowed the scholarship to continue.

"It became clear that those running the board of Cape Cod Pride didn’t have capacity to keep the scholarship fund going in terms of the work involved in financial management," Wilson said. "Even though we (scholarship committee) do the fundraising, they do the financial management of the money and oversee the whole application process."

The group hasn't entertained the idea of in-person fundraising yet, but Wilson said she is hopeful the committee can do an in-person gathering to honor Samuelson and to pull people together who want to support the scholarship fund.

The committee largely collected funds for the scholarships by sending out letters and emails. Wilson said the committee will also be setting up a Facebook page.

"For the next anniversary of his death, we would love to get together to remember him and raise money to keep his legacy going," Wilson said.

Death came too soon

Wilson, who describes Stan Samuelson as a "big hearted, gregarious guy," said his death came as a shock to all who knew him. It was the early days of COVID-19, and he was one of the first people on Cape Cod to die from the virus.

"He was a bigger than life kind of guy. So it was shocking that it took his life so quickly," she said.

Marlene Samuelson also remembers her brother as a "jovial guy" who took the time to the say "hi" and chat with everybody.

"Whether it was a member of the maintenance crew or a secretary at the school where he used to teach, everybody loved him," she said. "He was revered in a way and people really got a very warm sense from him."

When her brother retired, Marlene Samuelson said he was excited to volunteer throughout the Cape Cod area. When Samuelson began attending Cape Cod Pride and PFLAG meetings, Mesirow said he brought a great sense of humor to both groups, but he was also sensitive.

"When he came out here, he was helping kids he had no connection with. He knew how to converse with young people and gain their trust and respect," she said. "I always admired how he could connect with them."

Supported annual Falmouth pride picnic

Throughout their friendship, Mesirow said Stan Samuelson always wanted to do more. It was his presence at a PFLAG Falmouth meeting, she said, that encouraged the area's annual Pride picnic.

The Falmouth community possibly might not have welcomed a Pride parade, the group worried.

But Samuelson kept pushing the idea of celebrating LGBTQ people.

"That's how we came up with the Pride picnic," Mesirow said.

Throughout his participation in both groups, Mesirow said Stan Samuelson's presence is greatly missed.

"He was so enthusiastic and very childlike at times — he got very excited about things and would practically jump up and down," she said. "That's why we do all we can in his honor."

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape scholarship honors educator who supported LGBTQ youth