University of Massachusetts Dartmouth commencement speaker Robert Hale Jr. is the founder of Granite Telecommunications and co-owner of the Boston Celtics.
. He was the final speaker at the graduation ceremony Thursday, amid rainy conditions. In his speech, Hale shared his financial hardships, including bankrupting his company to the tune of $1 billion, which at one point resulted in death threats to his family. Still, the businessman encouraged the students to persevere and be charitable just before he gave the cash gift.
“Karen and I — my lovely wife who’s here to support me — we decided after this talk of giving let’s act on giving. As I mentioned you have weathered turbulent times, you weathered today. You should be celebrated. We want to celebrate with you,” Hale said. “The first $500 is our gift to you the second $500 is for you to give to somebody else or another organization who could use it more than you. Share in the joy of the gift of giving. Congratulations.
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