US soldier's gift to the University of Brighton

Mario Grano lived in Brighton for six years after serving in World War Two and gained a BSc in Economics at what was then Brighton Technical College, later becoming part the University of Brighton.

He loved the college and city so much he regularly returned to Brighton with his family from their home in Massachusetts.

Mario, who went on to work as an accountant for a manufacturing company in Massachusetts, died in 2013 at the age of 95. Part of his will included bequests to the University of Brighton and to Boston University where he later gained a Master of Business Administration.

Mario, born in Italy, came to study in Brighton through the Serviceman’s Readjustment Act of 1944 – known informally as the GI Bill – which provided a wide range of benefits for returning American veterans including tuition and living expenses for university study.

Mario’s daughter Jackie, who was born in Brighton, said how proud she was of her father’s educational accomplishments, which also included studies at the London School of Economics.

His $10,000 bequest was for the university’s St Peter’s House Library in Richmond Place, Brighton. Mario requested it be used to establish a permanent endowment with the annual interest used to purchase new books for the library.

A plaque has recently been installed in the entrance of the library in Mario’s memory, highlighting his generosity as a former student. Jackie hopes to visit the UK later this year in order to see the plaque in situ and to revisit some of her and her family’s memories.

To find out more about supporting the University of Brighton through your will, please contact Sam Davies, Director of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement by emailing sam.davies@brighton.ac.uk or telephone 01273 878382.