Endowed Memorial Scholarship: Support Students' Dreams

The purpose of this GoFundMe is to raise money to put toward an Endowed Scholarship at Rutgers University that will provide Scholarships to students with financial need year after year. The minimum amount for an Endowed Scholarship is $25,000 and that is the stretch goal for this campaign.

The Bob Tucker and Theodore Edward Ray, Sr. Memorial Foundation, Inc. is organizing this fundraiser to honor the memory of not only the individuals named in our organization's title but also to honor the late Dr. Marc Perugini. We encourage you to read the stories of these 3 people, and please consider to donate for this good cause.

Our company is run by 5 board members, all of which are on volunteer based positions. We pay all administrative costs for the company out of our own pockets, do not reimburse any expenses, and continue to work tirelessly to raise money and ensure that all of it goes to where it is needed most, the students with financial hardship.

Words from the Perugini family:

We want everyone to know that Marc loved all kinds of people……young, old, or anywhere in between, it didn't matter to him. He made friends easily, and when you were his friend, you were his friend for life. This was Marc. This is the man we will always love.

Marc was born on a beautiful sunny afternoon, Thursday, September 23, 1982. Along with his big sister Melanie, our family was complete. He was always a happy, easy going baby, and from the first time he smiled, we knew he was going to be a charmer.

He lived all of his life in Barnegat, attending the Cecil S. Collins School and graduating from the Russell O. Brackman Middle School in 1996. He attended Southern Regional High School where he made many new friends, especially people involved in the Southern Regional Golden Rams Marching Band.

After graduating from high school in 2000, he entered the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University, earning his Doctor of Pharmacy degree in May of 2006. He received his license to practice Pharmacy in August, and immediately began working for the Stop and Shop Company. He was proud to be following in his father's footsteps.

Marc lived a full life, trying new things all the time. He enjoyed Tai-Kwon-Do and Muay Thai. He also participated in soccer, ice hockey and roller hockey programs in the area. He loved music and enjoyed marching, not only in high school but also in drum and bugle corps.

Marc loved his family, both immediate and extended, and enjoyed spending time with all of us. He seemed to prefer bringing his girlfriend to our home to just hang out, play games with Mom and Dad, or watch TV or a movie together. They also enjoyed spending time with his sister Melanie and her husband Mark at their home, playing horseshoes, wiffle ball, and just having a good time together.

One of the things Marc and his girlfriend learned to love as much as we did was going on cruises. They also enjoyed going to the DCI Championships with us every year. We were always planning our future trips together.

We were fortunate to have spent the last week before the accident that took him from us on a cruise. It was a great week full of fun of which we have great memories that will last forever. It was on this cruise that he asked Gena Antonucci, the love of his life, to marry him. They were so happy together, the perfect couple, and we were looking forward to uniting our two families together in the very near future.

Marc Perugini died on November 13, 2006.

Starting in 2007 the Perugini family began to award a scholarship in memory of Marc first at Southern Regional High School and then transitioned the scholarship to Barnegat High School with their first graduating class in 2008.

Words from the Tucker Family:

Bob Tucker graduated from Dunfee Elementary, Brackman Middle, and Barnegat High School (Class of 2009). He was incredibly diverse. He was not only gifted academically, but he also played lacrosse and wrestled, was president of the Interact Club, and was voted Class Clown. He had many friends among both students and teachers. After high school he graduated from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Bob had great success in his career in finance, becoming the youngest ever mortgage company Vice President at the time he was promoted. Bob’s greatest ability, though, was his ability to embrace life. He was an incredibly talented artist and musician. He adored his puppy Sooki, his family and friends, games, Warhammer, throwing his phone at the TV when the Titans lost, roasting those he loved, cooking, books, movies, and travel. He had a great wit and was outrageously funny and full of shenanigans. Behind his outgoing personality, there was a heart of gold, a brilliant mind, and immense integrity. Bob was always there to support and lift his friends up. He’d give his own meals to a person who lived on the street. Bob’s loss is beyond devastating, but his humor, outrageousness, and zest for life will live on in all our hearts and minds. Bob will always be a legend to those who knew him or knew of him.

Words from the Ray Family:

Theodore Edward Ray Sr. was a family man through and through; the majority of his career as a Honda Mechanic he dedicated his life to providing for his family of five. He had a contagious smile and an even more contagious laugh; not a single person that heard it once would forget it. His love for cars, motorcycles, swap meets and hunting season was only superseded by the love for his family and taking his children and their friends to do the things that they loved. Company picnics, visiting extended family, boardwalk arcades, beach outings and rides in his 1970-1/2 Z28 Camaro, that he built back from just a car frame, are just a few ways that he loved to enjoy time with his family. He watched his children grow up and make friends and would go above and beyond in the little amount of spare time he had outside of work to nurture those relationships. One of them was with his son's childhood best friend, Bob Tucker. After passing away on Easter of 2008, Ted Sr.’s impact into others’ lives carried into those friends' actions.

During the second annual scholarship night at Barnegat High School, Ted Ray Jr. was a recipient of the scholarship in Marc Perugini's name. Al Perugini had offered him a job with Stop and Shop as a technician as he was progressing through the very same program which Marc attended at Rutgers University. Outside the Barnegat High School Auditorium, Bob, seeing the emotions in his friend Ted Jr. welling up, pulled him aside and had vowed that when they had made it in their careers, they would start a scholarship together in Ted Sr's name.

Throughout college, Bob had followed up with Ted numerous times, on the anniversary of his father's passing to make sure he was alright. He provided encouragement and support even when the Pharmacy School curriculum was tough and always mentioned that his father would be proud of him.

Al Perugini had been a mentor and friend to Ted all through college and so far in his career as a pharmacist with Stop and Shop. His kindness, patience, and the family's continued generosity in honoring Marc year after year led such a strong example for Ted. Both Sue and Al will also be honored with this Rutgers Scholarship.

Although Bob was a mere 18 years old when vowing to start a scholarship, his words were many years wiser. He lit a fire in all of our hearts to do more for those in need. Although he, Marc, and Ted Sr. are not physically with all of us presenting the awards, their spirits and genuineness are.

It is oftentimes the smallest things that make the biggest impacts over time. And this is where we turn to all of you. Together we can help students facing what seems to be insurmountable odds of success. We can provide encouragement and support when they question whether they are capable or have the means to better themselves in an effort to make an impact in this world. Most importantly, we want to inspire as many people possible to realize it does not take a tragedy to help others.

The Rutgers Phi Delta Chi - Beta Nu Chapter, and alumni have decided to help our foundation with the fundraising initiative and we greatly appreciate their dedication to do good to others. This Scholarship is truly meant to embody the fraternity motto "Alterum Alterius Auxilio Eget," meaning each needs the help of the other.

With your donation we please ask that you provide an e-mail address if you would like a tax deductible letter sent to you. In addition, if you would like to include an organization that you are a part of for recognition, would like to honor a love one, or remain anonymous please let us know. We plan to have a donor list with names of all donors and their organizations to provide the Scholarship recipients each year. The recipients will know how many people were dedicated to their success and this list of donors will be immortalized with the Scholarship.

Thank you all for making this possible, your support and selflessness has a greater impact than you may think.