McDonogh’s First Female Student H. Stacey Boyer ’76 Commits to Establish Scholarship for Students with “Pioneer Spirit"

“Challenge yourselves by doing something every day that scares you; learn to be comfortable with failure; do foolish things with enthusiasm; and remember that later in life, you won’t regret the things that you did as much as you’ll regret the things that you didn’t do.” These are the words that Stacey Boyer delivered in 2016 to the McDonogh School’s Cum Laude Society and, evidently, the words that guided her through life.

Stacey was a trailblazer in the truest sense of the word. She was the youngest of three children and desperately wanted to follow her older brothers to McDonogh despite it being an all-boys school at the time. Stacey applied, fierce in her determination to break the “gender barrier.” And she succeeded. Stacey was the first female applicant, the first female acceptance, and the first female graduate. She has always been proud to pioneer a path for other female students and to share an important piece of history with the school she loves.

Fueled by the encouragement of teachers and administrators, Stacey attended Duke University and the University of Baltimore School of Law and has a successful career that has been bolstered by her McDonogh connections. McDonogh opened doors and showed her a different world than what she grew up with, and for that she is grateful.

Stacey’s gratitude has inspired her to support the School in many ways over the years. She is the longest-standing Board of Trustees member in McDonogh’s history and is easily one of the most utilized volunteers of this esteemed group. She has chaired and served on many committees and has held the role of secretary for almost ten years. Because of her legal background, Stacey has offered the School counsel on many occasion—and she was responsible for rewriting the Board’s by-laws, a huge undertaking. She also volunteered with the McDonogh Fund and served as the Alumni Association president from 1992 to 1993.

McDonogh’s scholarship program is important to Stacey. With a generous planned gift, she committed to establish the Stacey Boyer ’76 Scholarship to support students who show a pioneer spirit or the ability to overcome adversity—and she is a consistently engaged sponsor. “I want McDonogh to continue a tradition of showing students the possibilities that exist so they can lead a full life,” she says.