They Went to Calvert First
Dr. Larry Stifler ’53
By the time the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum opened its doors in 2019, co-founders Dr. Lawrence "Larry” Stifler ’53 and Mary McFadden had been working on the project for almost 15 years, but Larry’s passion for science goes back much further. A philanthropist who supports conservation and education, Larry can trace his interest back 70 years – to Ninth Age, when he received a scholarship to attend Calvert School.
“I can truly say that I became a science junkie at Calvert,” Larry said. “In Ninth Age, I was given a book on great scientists, and I never looked back.”
Located in Bethel, Maine, the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum now serves as a repository for some of the state’s most precious natural resources, as well as a world-class collection of space rocks. The Stifler Collection of Meteorites features the five biggest lunar meteorites (moon rocks) recovered on Earth and the largest collection of Martian meteorites.
Larry is also the founder and former president of Health Management Resources, a national healthcare company that provides treatment for at-risk patients. A noted philanthropist, Larry serves on the boards of the Celebrity Series of Boston, Wareham Land Trust, and the National Council of the Land Trust Alliance. He and his wife Mary established the Stifler Family Foundation in 2001 and have provided financial support to hundreds of nonprofit organizations involved in conservation, education, housing, youth leadership, and the arts.
Calvert School is a coed independent lower and middle school.
