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Michael M. Boyle Scholarship
GPHA's Scholarship Fund, provides scholarships for the employees of GPHA members and their immediate family members, Senior high school students and college students of enrolled in a hospitality/culinary management program and pursuing careers in the hospitality. Scholarships are awarded at GPHA's Annual Scholarship & The Heart of Philadelphia Awards luncheon held in December.
The scholarships are named in honor of Mike Boyle, past president of GPHA (1998 - 2000) and founder of the scholarship program. Mike was a tireless visionary and a staunch advocate for Philadelphia's emerging hospitality industry. His death from cancer in 2001 was a tragic blow to everyone who knew him and who admired his energy and lifelong passion for Philadelphia.
Mike grew up savvy and street-smart in the Grays Ferry section. Early on, he came to see his hometown was a place not only of long historical traditions, but also of unlimited opportunity for the future.
His first job in the hotel industry was as a desk clerk at what was then the Bellevue Strafford. He rose rapidly through the hotel sector and soon had a high-visibility regional sales job for ITT Sheraton. By the early 1980's, he had become the influential vice president of sales for the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau and also was a founding member of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation. He also had a keen sense for what made people want to visit the City of Brotherly Love. He was a founding board member of Lights of Liberty, Inc., and was active in promoting the $1.5 million sound-and-light extravaganza at Independence Park. In 1993, he and his partners at Valley Forge Investment Corp. bought the Omni at Independence Park where Mike served as GM until his death.
The Scholarship Fund is managed by The Philadelphia Foundation.
Send in your application today!
High School
College Student and GPHA Hotel Member Employees & Families Criteria and Application |
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“Thank you for everything, I am thrilled to go to Hartwick College, and extremely grateful that the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association's Michael Boyle Scholarship will help me go there. The last few months have certainly been both rewarding and exciting for me.” -- Alyssa Pearson, Great Valley High School and 2007 Michael M. Boyle Scholarship Recipient |
