Index
Scholarships
The Romano Entrepreneurs Fund
The Romano Entrepreneurs Fund, established in 1999 by Utica businessman F. Eugene Romano, Class of 1949, in honor of his 50th reunion, provides scholarship support to Hamilton students from the Greater Utica/Mohawk Valley area interested in becoming entrepreneurs and in living and working in the Utica area after graduation.
F. Eugene Romano was born to Michael and Mary Romano, Italian immigrants living in Utica, New York. Michael Romano had been accepted and hoped to attend Hamilton but was unable to due to economic obstacles. F. Eugene “Gene” Romano applied to the College in his father’s honor. He enrolled at age sixteen and graduated in 1949 with a double major in economics and American history. Gene served in the U.S. Army for two years before co-founding Special Metals Corporation, the first steel mill to produce jet engine alloy steel in the western world.
At the age of 27, he founded Pacemaker Steel Warehouse, Inc. and began to broaden his areas of business to manufacturing and real estate. His lengthy list of achievements includes generous support of Utica College and Syracuse University, the Utica Boys and Girls Club, and the Utica Symphony, as well as the Stanley Theater and area medical facilities. He has received honorary degrees from Utica College and Hamilton.
June 2014
Please note: The named scholarships profiled on these pages are awarded as part of the College’s need-based financial aid packages. These funds help ensure the Hamilton Promise of keeping education affordable through meeting a student’s full demonstrated financial need.
Materials published here were diligently researched and written by students who strived for historical accuracy.
