Celtics co-owner gives $1,000 to each UMass Boston graduate

Graduates of UMass Boston will start their post-college careers with a head start. 

Rob Hale, a billionaire who joined the Boston Celtics‘ ownership group in 2012, surprised University of Massachusetts Boston undergraduates with a gift during their commencement ceremony Thursday. 

The Boston Celtics logo on a fan’s sweatshirt before Game 5 of the 2023 Eastern Conference semifinals between the Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers May 9, 2023, at TD Garden in Boston.  (Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images / Getty Images)

“We are proud of you, so we want to share in that celebration with you. We want to give you two gifts. The first is a gift to you. The second is the gift of giving,” Hale said during his commencement speech, according to NBC 10 Boston. 

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“These trying times have heightened the need for sharing, caring and giving. Our community and our world need you, it needs us more than ever — needs us to be compassionate.”

Hale then explained that each graduate would receive $1,000, half of which to keep, and the other half to be given to someone else — or an organization — who could use it “more than you.”

Karen and Rob Hale pose for a photo Aug. 11, 2022.  (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger/USA Today Network / IMAGN)

“There are two sets of envelopes: One says ‘gift’ and one says ‘give.’ The first is for you, the ‘gift’ is for you. The ‘give’ is also for you, but it’s to give,” he said. “The greatest joys we’ve had in our life have been the gift of giving. So each of you is getting $1,000 cash right now.

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“The first $500 is for you,” Hale then said. “It’s a celebration of all you have done to be here today. You’re leaders. Celebrate. The second $500 is a gift for you to give to somebody or somebody else or another organization who could use it more than you. Share in the joy of giving. Congratulations, Beacons!”

Rob Hale, CEO of Granite Telecommunications in Quincy, June 9, 2021 (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger / IMAGN)

A total of 2,500 undergraduates made up the 2023 UMass Boston graduating class, according to Boston.com. 

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Hale is the president of Granite Communications, a communications services provider for businesses with multiple locations, which is based in Quincy, Massachusetts. 

Hale’s net worth is estimated at $5 billion, and he has personally donated over $280 million toward cancer research, educational institutions and other charities, according to Forbes.