ABOUT
History Behind the Foundation
Founded in 2022, the Constantino Family Foundation draws its inspiration from the lifelong legacy of the Foundation's namesake, Paul J. Constantino (1944-2020).
“Send me books, Sir”
In 1968, during Paul's second year at the University of San Francisco Law School, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. While he could have exercised a deferral, he and his twin brother Thomas (who served in the U.S. Marines), decided to serve. Paul was sent to Dong Ha (near the DMZ) to support the 3rd Marine Division as a U.S. Army Field Artilleryman. A few months into his tour, his Regimental Commander (of the 108th Artillery Group), Colonel Roscoe Cartwright, made a visit to his outpost because he heard of a young Soldier who was instructing other GIs who lacked their GED. That young Soldier was none other than Paul. At 25 years old, he was tutoring fellow Soldiers so they could obtain their GED, from the rugged, war-torn terrain of Vietnam.
Col. Cartwright asked Paul what support he needed, to which Paul replied, "send me books, Sir." A few weeks passed and Col. Cartwright's aide made a visit back to that remote outpost to deliver two boxes of books. The aid passed along a message that whatever resources Paul needed to teach, he only needed to ask for Col. Cartwright had issued orders for Paul to report to him to establish an education program.
Paul would later recount, "Cartwright outlined my task to initiate an education program for those men of his command, especially those serving at remote camps. He wanted to provide them with every educational benefit available from the Army and inform soldiers of their VA benefits. I accepted the task with enthusiasm. (...) Many months later, when speaking to him, I recall the general mentioning that most gratifying to him was the fact that over 400 artillerymen (while out in the bush) were taking correspondence courses on everything from aeronautics to business management and TV repair."
During the 14 months he spent in Vietnam, Paul started the first Educational Program (called "Operation Education") amassing a collection of over 2,000 books in his field "office" and supporting over 400 soldiers across Vietnam. He was quoted in "The Times" newspaper (article entitled "Burlingame GI Is First To Aid Combat Troop Education") back on Jan. 2, 1970 as saying "It's the men at the firing batteries I feel the most responsible to. (...) It's really the trip(s) to the field which has made 'Operation Education' a success."
A lasting good
Drawing from this legacy, the Constantino Family Foundation serves the greater San Francisco Bay Area by providing scholarships and grants to local youths applying to Universities, trade schools and other professional development or educational endeavors.
Learn more about scholarship opportunities by following the link below.