STGC gifted $40m for state-of-the art gym
Outstanding old boy also provides $10m for extra classes
PHILANTHROPIST Philip Wong has announced the donation of $50 million to his alma mater St George’s College.
The bulk of the money, $40 million, will go towards the building of a state-of-the-art gymnasium at the North Street, Kingston-based school, with the rest to be used to employ the brightest of teachers to tutor students after school and on weekends.
Wong made the announcement during his presentation in the second of a three-part lecture series at St George’s College on Tuesday.
He said the 40,000 square-foot gymnasium is to be named after his wife and himself, who are equal partners in the venture.
According to the businessman, the Barbara and Philip Wong STGC Gymnasium will be a complete exercise facility, fully air-conditioned with locker rooms, stalls, bathrooms, and cutting-edge equipment.
It will be constructed at Emmet Park, the school’s sports complex, and Wong noted, “It is to build both bodies and minds of the students and faculty.”
Wong, a 1959 graduate with a degree in electrical engineering and an MBA, is the CEO of the United States-based Deltana Group of Companies which specialises in architectural hardware distribution.
He is renowned for giving back and in the past donated $10 million to the school, funded 10 annual scholarships for promising students, and in 2022 donated two school buses to aid in the safe and comfortable transportation of the school’s sports teams and clubs.
His other notable gifts include the transformation of the school’s main entrance in 2018, now famously emblazoned with the words ‘The Entry to Excellence’.
In his lecture on Tuesday, under the theme, ‘Perseverance — that tenacity to remain determined and driven’, Wong highlighted his many triumphs over challenges.
He stressed, to the packed auditorium of students and educators from 10 high schools across the island, that one should not be deterred by disappointments.
“Put it quickly behind you,” Wong advised as he recounted when he returned to Jamaica for a job that was promised but was told on his arrival that it was no longer available.
He pointed to the lesson learnt from that experience as he related his struggles and successes throughout his life to the attentive audience.
Wong shared other lessons, first directly to the students of his alma mater.
“When you get an opportunity to attend a high school like St George’s College you must embrace it and give it your all. Study hard, do your homework, and do not waste time. Do your best,” said the man who landed in Jamaica as a five-year-old from the small South Pacific island of Tahiti, speaking no English and growing up in Mavis Bank with his family running a small shop.
He also told students going overseas to study that when they get a job to pursue their purpose — as he did by becoming a house boy while attending University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) — they should do it earnestly.
“The [type of] job doesn’t matter — the end result does,” added Wong.
The philanthropist also encouraged the students to give back when they achieve success.
“You should always give back whatever you can in kind or service. When you give back it is empowering…and it always comes back…tenfold,” said Wong.
Ricardo Ellis, deputy head boy at St George’s College, leads the question-and-answer section of the lecture series with old boy Philip Wong.
