Brookline resident David Whipple was an exceptional young man with a keen mind and a kind heart. A graduate of Brookline High School and Yale College, David died in an automobile accident in January 2019 at the age of 25. His parents Carol Gladstone and Ben Whipple wanted to find a way to honor their son’s memory in a profound and meaningful way.
“From an early age, David loved learning and using words. As he grew up, this evolved into a passion for writing, which he used to shape and share his thoughts about the things he loved — music, birding, baseball, humor and, finally, the law. We wanted to find a way to inspire and support kids at Brookline High School who share this love of the written word.”
Ben and Carol worked with David’s favorite teachers to create a program at Brookline High School that would exemplify the values and essence of their son. After meeting with BCF, they felt the foundation had the flexibility and insight to help them with a process to honor the memory of their son.
BCF is honored to announce the creation of the David Zadoc Whipple Fund. This newly created donor advised fund will “support excellence in writing such as summer fellowships and year-round writing programs” at Brookline High School. They went on to say that “with the Foundation as a trusted partner, we hope to expand access and opportunities for young people in the Brookline community and nurture the love of words and writing in other young people.”
BCF expects that the first grants from the David Zadoc Whipple Fund will be made during the spring of 2020. The Whipple Fellowships were created to inspire and motivate BHS students who love the written word to provide an opportunity to develop and expand their skills as writers. Applications have been requested for the inaugural group of writers, and 90 students have applied.