Kevin Semprini, Paulette Semprini ’72, and Wayne Semprini ’72

“I benefited tremendously from Plymouth State. I got a world of contacts, including recommendations from President Harold Hyde and the dean of students, and I knew they would open doors for me.”

“Kev and I were Portsmouth, NH, kids who didn’t grow up wealthy, but were fortunate to live in an amazing community,” says Wayne Semprini ’72, explaining the impetus for the new scholarship created by him and his brother, Kevin. “Both of us think the world of Plymouth State and if this helps induce somebody from Portsmouth to choose it, we’re all for it.”

The Priscilla and Mario Semprini Portsmouth High School Endowed Scholarship Fund honors the brothers’ late parents, “…two beautiful people who I feel could have served as ambassadors for the Greatest Generation,” says Kevin Semprini. “They were very hardworking people who didn’t have an opportunity to attend college. However, they were committed to saving so their sons could attend if they chose to.”

“I benefited tremendously from Plymouth State,” says Wayne, who studied business. “I got a world of contacts, including recommendations from President Harold Hyde and the dean of students, and I knew they would open doors for me.”

The entrance to medical technology leader C.R. Bard opened when the firm hired Wayne as its youngest ever salesman. He went on to 35 years in the orthopedic industry, which included founding two orthopedic supply companies.

As a member of the Plymouth State President’s Council, Wayne is continually impressed by statistics that identify more than half of all students as either first generation or low income. “It’s admirable and also astounding,” he says. “The demographic that Plymouth State serves is so important—it’s a demographic that I love.”

“Plymouth was as student-centric back then as it is now,” says Wayne, who notes that both he and his wife, Paulette ’72, retain many close classmate connections. His alumni ties expanded postgraduation to include the late Executive Councilor Ray Burton ’62, who helped nurture Wayne’s own influential political career. “I’m so grateful that Ray is appreciated by Plymouth State the way that he is,” says Wayne.

Kevin Semprini was a popular Plymouth State student and a member of the Kappa Delta Phi fraternity. In his final collegiate year he was recruited by the Portsmouth Police Department, which led to a long and distinguished career in his home community. Well regarded and highly respected, Kevin has been recognized with Portsmouth Citizen of the Year and Portsmouth Rotary Harris Fellow awards, among other accolades.

The new scholarship is for graduates of Portsmouth High School with documented financial need.

“Our parents were devoted, caring, and very loving, especially to those in need,” says Kevin. “They would greatly appreciate the quality of today’s Plymouth State education and would be even more impressed with its dedication to homeless students and those for whom college would otherwise be out of reach. I hope our scholarship helps many future Portsmouth High School graduates who are savvy enough to attend PSU over the coming years.”