Alumni Award News

When Vangel Cotsis ’85 says he’s from a Thornton family, he means it. The eighth of nine siblings—all of whom are alumni—has enrolled the eldest of his four children in Thornton Academy Middle School and he and his wife are homestay parenting an 8th grader from Spain. He’s also a member of Thornton Academy’s Board of Trustees, a position he has held for nearly 15 years. 

“If you asked me to describe the Board while in my twenties, it would have evoked images of the bank board in Mary Poppins—all men and a room filled with the smell of cigars. It turned out to be nothing like that. There really was a gravity about the Board, a deep history of accomplished professionals. They were the pillars of society. When you’re young, you don’t envision yourself fulfilling such a responsibility, but self-perception often doesn’t match how you’re assessed by others. Joining the Board at age 33 was quite an honor; I’m still the youngest member.

“As a Board member this year, I asked for the honor of calling retired teacher Phil Curtis to see if he would be willing to have a classroom dedicated after him and two other teachers (see p. 9). I was anxious about the call because I wanted to ensure that I properly communicated the meaning and depth of the honor to him and his colleagues.  I obviously wanted to be sure he would agree. I told him, ‘You made an impression on decades of students. We want to recognize that and the school will benefit from the association with you.’ I think he was taken aback in his acceptance. 

“Phil Curtis was the one with whom I made the most positive connections, academically and otherwise. I was never the student who knew early on what they wanted to be when they grew up. My educational path was unconventional. I initially put an average amount of work into school and so I got an average amount out of it, but I was involved in student government and met with Mr. Curtis frequently as my class advisor. Through Phil’s recommendation, I received an award for leadership which had a very lasting impression on me.  

“I took a computer programming class my senior year with Dom DiBiase, having recognized that computers were becoming a very integral part of society, although I never could have imagined the degree to which it has evolved.  

“After graduation, I enrolled at what was SMVTI in the Electronics Technology program. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but my strength was primarily in mathematics and I thought I should align myself with a technology field.  It wasn’t a good fit, and so I  apprenticed in the sheet metal fabrication trade for a couple of years.  

“It slowed down my long-term career path, but that job taught me that a higher education was critical to realizing my full potential. By my late twenties, I had earned an Associate’s degree in Business and then a B.A. in Economics from USM, while working full time. I was drawn to finance, money management, and the world of financial markets. Then, I eventually became a private banker to affluent families. That role evolved into financial planning and investment management.

“I advised many people on estate planning over the years but realized I hadn’t done much to protect my own legacy. Life creeps up on you. I decided that I wanted to carve out a piece for Thornton Academy. Education is the lifeblood, the foundation of any community. Without knowledge, you don’t have a thriving community. What better entity to invest in than the fabric of what makes a community connected and successful? It makes giving easy. You have to believe it’s important to give. 

“Some people say, ‘TA has an endowment and doesn’t need my help; or I’m not going to write a check in addition to my property taxes.’ Everyone’s personal circumstances are different and I respect that. Institutions like Thornton rely on community generosity to provide an exceptional education. If Thornton relied on its endowment, it wouldn’t last through a single year of operation. The endowment is a nest egg to be managed judiciously for many generations to come. Neither can Thornton operate solely on taxes; local tax revenues only support a basic education and can never be used for construction or renovation. Yet, the school needs to change with the times and maintain its infrastructure and the attributes that people enjoy.  The long history of generosity from those who have left a personal legacy enable the school to thrive.

“I have learned the value of giving, without the expectation of getting anything in return. Volunteerism becomes a habit. You see the benefit in the rearview mirror. When you’re 20 years old, you don’t think about mortality. But as you get older, you think about what you meant in this world. You ask: what is my purpose? At Hill Stadium, when I saw my name on the donor wall there, all of a sudden it mattered to me. I thought, my kids will see this and then their kids and they will say, ‘There’s Grandpa.’ I have become more and more vested in Thornton Academy. There’s no shame in wanting to be remembered and doing it in a way that contributes to the greater good.”