Washington, D.C. — November 23, 2022 — National Fisheries Institute (NFI) announces that the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, has officially created the “John P. Connelly ’84 Student Stipend Fund” in honor of the association’s late and highly-regarded President and CEO, John Connelly.

NFI — in cooperation with Holy Cross alumni Sean O’Scannlain, president and CEO of Fortune International, and Chris Ruettgers, president of Mark Foods — has established an internship fund to benefit the college’s student internship experiences.

Connelly took great pride in demystifying advocacy as a career. To honor his love of education, the seafood industry, and mentoring Holy Cross interns for over a decade at NFI, the stipend will support a student participating in a summer internship at NFI or another food or science-based advocacy group. 

John Connelly was the third President of NFI, the leading trade association for the seafood industry. He was a fierce advocate and an instrumental leader in the seafood community. He graduated from Holy Cross (’84) with a degree in history. John passed away on November 20, 2022 following a heroic battle against cancer. 

Contributions to the fund can be made directly here or contact Phil Gibson, Holy Cross Advancement, 1 College Street, Worcester, MA 01610

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Additionally, Adaptive Sports Center has launched a memorial fund in honor of John Peter Connelly. Adaptive Sports Center is a therapeutic recreation program for individuals with disabilities that operates all year, with adaptive activities from skiing to mountain biking. 

John was particularly moved by the work of the Adaptive Sports Center after learning about its life-changing impacts for participants from his daughter, staff member, Maggie Connelly. John treasured nightly calls from Maggie relaying stories of the inspiring participants with whom she worked.

Contributions can be made here to honor John’s love of skiing and the outdoors, while also recognizing John’s compassion and desire to share the joys of life with all around him.

Contact Information

Melaina Lewis
mlewis@nfi.org
703-752-8899