Stephen & Gerry Volpe
Mr. & Mrs. Volpe seek to honor the life and memory of their son, Stephen J. Volpe, through this scholarship.
From a young age, Steve always loved the outdoors. Living in an area where there were several farms and small streams, he’d ride his bike and would design maps of what he saw. The maps were usually very detailed and labeled along with a map key. He had a special notebook just for his maps. As a teen, he was employed at a local golf course where he helped maintain the greens, shrubs, and flowers. He would often propagate plants and trees from seedlings. Steve was a “tree hugger” always concerned about the sustainability of our environment. Combined with his love of nature and his developing cartography skills, it seemed like a natural progression after high school to continue his career path majoring in Environmental Science. Steve was accepted at Richard Stockton College (Stockton University) where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in 2000. After graduating Stockton, Steve went on to pursue a master’s degree in Geography and Planning at West Chester University. Soon after, he was recruited by Remington and Vernick Engineers as a GIS analyst where he was employed for over 15 years.
Along with his love for the outdoors was his passion for sports. He started playing soccer at an early age, played for several years, and eventually was recruited for a traveling team. But his true talent was realized in high school when he started running for the Vineland High School cross country team and then winter and spring track. Steve was a true competitor, very disciplined in his training and excelled as a runner. He accumulated nine varsity letters during his four years in high school. In his senior year he won the coach’s award for winter track. He continued running while attending Stockton and was a four-year member of Stockton’s Cross-country team, as well as the University’s indoor/outdoor track teams.
Steve’s passion for sports extended beyond the track to the playing fields of the Eagles and Phillies, and the ice of the Jersey Devil’s. As an alumnus, Steve returned to campus to support the G. Larry James Fund Bike Ride – a long distance bike event that raises money for student scholarships and honors the memory of former Olympian, and long-time Stockton Track Coach and Athletic Director, G. Larry James.