The enduring impact of alumni Marion and Salvatore Brancaccio

Aug 27, 2024

Black and white photo of a couple waving through the back windshield of their car — ^{Photo courtesy of the Brancaccio Family}

Victoria College alumni Marion (Cooper) Brancaccio (1923–2012) and her husband Salvatore (1927–2021) had a deep and abiding love for their college, supporting the Victoria College Annual Fund for more than four decades. In 2006, they made a major gift to endow The Salvatore and Marion (Cooper) Brancaccio Scholarship, an in-course scholarship awarded to Victoria College students achieving excellence during their studies.

Through the scholarship, the couple paid tribute to Professor Laure Rièse, a member of the Victoria College teaching staff whom Marion greatly admired and with whom she shared a love for the French language. Marion’s career included 36 years teaching French and German at Toronto’s Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute.

At the time of Marion’s death, the couple had been married for 49 years. Following Marion’s passing, Salvatore continued to support the Victoria College Annual Fund as well as the scholarship that they had endowed together. A generous bequest received from Salvatore’s estate has built the scholarship fund even further. Through their thoughtful planned giving, several other non-profits, including the University of Toronto, also benefitted from the couple’s magnanimous gifts.

five people gathered at a party in formal wear, smiling at the camera, as a sixth person looks over

“Through their lifetime of philanthropy and generous bequest, Marion and Salvatore Brancaccio demonstrated their shared belief in the transformative power of education. It is fitting that generations of students will benefit from their enduring legacy at Victoria College,” says Sharon Gregory, associate director of gift planning in the Office of Alumni Affairs & Advancement.

Originally published by Victoria College

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