De La Salle receives $3 million gift from the Robert L. Nugent Trust 

WARREN — During his years at De La Salle Collegiate High School, student Robert L. Nugent always stayed involved.

While academics were at the forefront, Nugent also was a member of the student council and National Honor Society, and he played football and tennis. In 1942, he graduated seventh in his class when the school was located in Detroit.

Nugent died in March 2008, but his legacy as a DLS student lives on. During the first all-school Mass of the 2022-23 academic year held Aug. 29 — with Regina High School students in attendance — DLS received a $3 million gift from the Robert L. Nugent Trust. 

The students cheered when they heard the news. Several DLS officials attended the Mass, as did Trowbridge Law Firm estate planning attorney Jon Gandelot, the attorney for the Nugent family. Gandelot’s wife, Lisa, also was present. 

“Bob always felt that his De La Salle education set him up for success in later life, and it certainly did. He had a long, successful life, and wanted to pay it forward,” Gandelot said. “Knowing Bob as I did, when all the students stood up and cheered, it was really special.”

“It brought tears to my eyes,” Lisa Gandelot said. (The endowment fund) will help a lot of families.”

The gift of money will be used for tuition assistance for families and will benefit both current and future Pilot students. Nugent was known for being “very generous” to his alma mater.

“Nugent lived the definition of a Lasallian life, along with his late wife, Jane Kay Nugent. During his adult life, he enjoyed a long and distinguished career at Detroit Edison (DTE Energy),” a DLS press release stated. “Nugent contributed several significant gifts to De La Salle over the years, ensuring that the same top-tier education he obtained would be received by future generations of Pilots.”

The $3 million gift is much appreciated by the school family. 

“I never personally met Mr. Nugent. However, I thought I knew him very well through the many conversations I had about him with his wife, Jane Kay Nugent, and our late president, Br. Robert Carnaghi,” DLS Advancement Director Greg Esler said. “Mrs. Nugent told me on numerous occasions how much Bob Nugent loved the school and how much he learned from the school. It was a wonderful experience getting to meet her. Based on the magnitude of this gift, it was very apparent how much he admired De La Salle.”