The Lawrence L. Saporta, Ph.D. Memorial Scholarship

Dear fellow classmates, family, and friends of Larry Saporta,
Larry at St. John's College [©Chris Newman] Many of us were shocked to hear of Larry’s death. We were shocked that he had been snatched from us so suddenly and with such little warning; we were shocked that someone who had accomplished so much in the last few years—marriage, a Ph.D., and an embryonic teaching career—could be gone; we were shocked that someone who was so full of life and who was such a joy to be around was not with us anymore. I am sure many of us still feel this way, and it will be a long while before we come to grips with the death of our friend in his prime.

Larry was many things to me—friend, raconteur, thespian, purveyor of cheap wine during late night arguments about Borges and Yukio Mishima—but the thing I remember most about Larry was how fundamentally good-hearted he was. No matter what the topic or how heated the discussion, Larry was always a quip away from making those around him laugh. In this way, Larry made my four years at St. John’s that much more memorable.

I know many of us have similar memories of Larry. In discussing with his widow, Lisa Boughter Saporta, how those of us who felt fortunate to have encountered, studied with, and even lived with Larry could best honor his memory, we decided to establish the Lawrence L. Saporta, Ph.D. Memorial Scholarship at St. John’s College. Lisa writes:

Larry's students at Rosemont College held a memorial service for him a few days after he passed away. After only four classes, each and every one of his students had grown to admire Larry. They appreciated his enthusiasm, his passion for knowledge, and his approach to teaching.

Larry had very definite ideas about how he wanted to teach: He never wanted to lecture his students from a position of authority; he wished to have a dialogue with them, and taught all of his classes as if they were seminars, welcoming and incorporating students' observations on and interpretations of the material. Larry believed this was the best approach to teaching and learning, and that belief grew out of his experience as an undergraduate at St. John's College.

Larry was not an elitist. He thought everyone, regardless of their socioeconomic status, should have the opportunity to pursue the very best education possible. He would be honored and thrilled to know that a scholarship in his memory will help defray the cost for a student to attend St. John's College.

The purpose of the Lawrence L. Saporta, Ph.D. Memorial Scholarship is to help support undergraduate students at St. John’s College who intend to ultimately pursue a Ph.D. in one of the liberal arts.

So let’s do what Larry would have done and make the most of a bad situation. In these financially challenging times, let’s not forget the undergraduates who are struggling to follow in Larry’s footsteps. According to the college, 70% of undergraduates require financial aid. The only way to ensure that the next generation of Johnnies are able to go to their waltz parties, drink cheap wine while pontificating at length on Plato’s Symposium, and yell at the midshipmen during croquet—all things that Larry fully supported during his tenure at St. John’s—is for us to give back to the college.

Contributions should go directly to St. John’s College in Larry’s name. The website for giving to the college is https://community.stjohnscollege.edu/giving.

Alternately, you can send your gift to the college or speak with staff:

St. John's College
PO Box 75905
Baltimore, MD 21275-5905

Telephone: 410-626-2507

Please be sure to note that your donation is for the Lawrence L. Saporta, Ph.D. Memorial Scholarship.

Sincerely,
Bryan Dorland (A92) and Lisa Boughter Saporta

August, 2008
Lawrence L. Saporta, Ph.D.
August 1, 1968 - September 9, 2011