Giving Back:
Fran Stier ’69
Fran Stier ’69 arrived at Friends Select School in 1966, mid-year as a tenth grader,
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during what she recalls as a disrupted year. Living at the Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital at the time, Fran found invaluable support from Friends Select’s faculty, who welcomed her with patience and care. “Teacher Dick Hoffman especially was very supportive,” Fran shared. “I spent a lot of time in the library doing independent projects that year,” she added, remembering her early introduction to the intellectual freedom that would shape her Friends Select experience. |
Throughout Fran’s years at Friends Select, her teachers continued to make an impact that would remain with her beyond graduation.
Her French teacher, Jeanine Wagner, inspired Fran to continue French to college. “Years later, when I got a job as a USAID contractor in West Africa, I qualified with professional proficiency on the strength of high school French,” she shared. Math teacher Olive Tatman and history teacher Gene Kerrick were also influential figures. “I continued with 1.5 years of calculus in college, and when I changed fields to become an actuary, the math background was very useful,” Fran said. “And a senior year unit on Africa taught by Teacher Gene sparked my interest in anthropology, in which I later received a Ph.D.”
Beyond academics, Friends Select’s Quaker values shaped Fran’s understanding of equity and social responsibility. Before transferring to Friends Select, Fran attended public schools in Maplewood, New Jersey, where classes were very tracked and far less integrated. Her Friends Select experience was her first time learning alongside Black classmates, an experience that deeply shaped Fran’s understanding of community and belonging. During her senior year, Fran tutored at a nearby middle school, clarifying the importance of educational accessibility. “It made me realize what obstacles lower-income kids are up against,” she said.
The combination of academic excellence, care, and Quaker values that Fran experienced at Friends Select has inspired a remarkable philanthropic commitment. As a member of the Dick Hoffman Circle of long-term contributors, Fran has given to Friends Select every year for over four decades. “Friends Select was very supportive, and teachers were very patient. I was grateful for their help,” she said. “I’ve been very fortunate to have the means to donate, and I credit Friends Select for the education that helped me earn those means.”
In 2006, Fran, guided by her own volunteer experience in fundraising, became a monthly sustainer to Friends Select. She is currently board chair and treasurer for Chester Community Coalition, a gun violence nonprofit in Chester, PA, and for over 15 years, she served as social action chair for her synagogue, Congregation Ohev Shalom. “Monthly giving means charities can plan activities,” she said, emphasizing the importance of reliable donor support. “Fundraising is hard work.”
Now living in a Quaker retirement community, Fran remains connected to the values that were nurtured at Friends Select. She continues her philanthropic commitment to her alma mater, ensuring that future generations of students have the same opportunities she was given, and hopes fellow alumni will follow her lead. “Giving to institutions like FSS is one way we can work toward more equity,” Fran said. “So much is needed.”
Are you interested in becoming a monthly donor to Friends Select? For more information, contact Molly Mullahy P’33, director of the Friends Select Fund and constituent engagement, at mollymu@friends-select.org or 215-561-5900 x3139.
