Alex Richardson

Carmel Catholic colleague and friend Tony Recchia remembers Alex Richardson, former Carmel High School for Boys teacher, as the "great warrior" for his steadfast dedication to his ideals and commitments. Alex was well-liked by students and colleagues and served the Carmel Catholic community from 1968 to 1981.

Alex taught math, helped coach the boys' golf team to a third-place finish in the 1972 IHSA State competition, and served as an assistant tennis coach. He also helped with fundraising by running the school's weekly bingo games during the 1970s. He died on April 13, 2006.

"I knew Alex as a great warrior," said Tony Recchia, a contemporary faculty member and colleague. "He asked questions rather than just follow what others thought or did. He always led his teams with competitive enthusiasm."

"Intellectually," Tony recalled, "he was strong in math and reading. He was one of the few people I knew who loved reading so much that he would finish a book in one sitting. He was a leader among the faculty and worked with the administration to increase faculty salaries. Even though he worked at other schools, his heart was always with Carmel."

Alex's commitment to Carmel Catholic's mission never waned. After consulting with his family, he made a bequest to Carmel Catholic that funded a need-based financial aid endowment. The will's executor, Alex's brother, wrote the guidelines for awarding the scholarship.

There is a great need for financial assistance. In the 2024-25 academic year, Carmel Catholic awarded $4.2 million in financial aid to students with economic hardship. Endowments like Alex's enable students who might not otherwise have the financial ability to attend or stay at Carmel. Financial aid will continue to be an important program for our families.

The endowment's first award was given to a student for the 2007-08 school year. Each year, the endowment helps to lessen tuition expenses for a Carmel Catholic family. The Richardson Endowment is one of 43 endowments and scholarships that help fund a portion of tuition assistance for students.

Endowments have a long-lasting impact on current and future students. They receive an education program and personal and faith development that prepares them for college and successful careers. To fund a perpetual endowment, the minimum gift is $25,000. Larger endowments enable Carmel Catholic to provide larger or more financial awards. An endowment's annual award is approximately 5% of the endowment's Annual income, which averages 7% to 8% of revenue based on the stock market gains. The remaining income is added back into the endowment's corpus, allowing the endowment to grow each year and retain relevance as tuition costs increase.

An important long-term goal is to grow our tuition assistance endowments so that Carmel Catholic can remain accessible to families of all income levels who seek Catholic education for their children. You can use various planned giving methods to fund an endowment through a planned gift. Call the Advancement Department for more details.