Gary J. Vajcner

The Foundation at MCCC received the largest donation by an individual in 2019, Gary J. Vajcner, a local businessman and philanthropist. He made a $1.1 million donation in memory of his wife, Patricia A. Vajcner, who passed away on March 27, 2019, and in tribute to the life they built together. Though the majority of the gift will be used to enhance student and instruction spaces on campus, $50,000 is being used to establish the Patricia A. Vajcner Memorial Scholarship.

The Patricia A. Vajcner Memorial Scholarship will provide scholarship support for MCCC students who enroll in skilled trades programs, with strong preference given to students pursuing degrees or certificates in product and process technology.

“Both Patricia and I come from very humble beginnings,” said Gary Vajcner. “After graduating high school locally in 1964, I joined Ford Motor Company, completed a tool and die apprenticeship and earned my associate degree from Highland Park Community College. Patricia worked in retail for several years until the children came along.” While raising their children, Patricia Vajcner ran several in-home businesses and later ran Craft and Concrete Village on Bluebush Road, employing 10 local residents, while Gary Vajcner continued to advance in his career at Ford. After retiring as a tool room supervisor, he went on become the tool room manager at Draw-Tite Manufacturing through the consolidation of Reese Manufacturing and Draw-Tite. Upon his second retirement he established his own international consulting firm, Vajcner Tooling Solutions, which he operated for eight years. This venture led to him often working in China.

“Throughout our marriage and lifelong partnership, Patricia and I were involved in real estate investing, especially in Monroe,” Vajcner said. “After years of success in that arena, we decided we wanted to start giving back to our community.” “We felt very strongly that investing in the college was an opportunity for us to ‘pay it forward’. We wanted to set an example, help students reach their full potential, and in turn we hope our gift will grant those who benefit with both the ability and inspiration to carry our generosity through to the next generation with their own giving,” Vajcner explained.