Class of 1962 Memorial Scholarship
The Class of 1962 Memorial Scholarship was established in 2013 to honor the memory of their classmates. Each year the committee chooses a deceased classmate to honor for the school year. Past honorees included Orbie Gailes (2013), Frank Donagrandi (2014), Tom Coyne (2015), Bob Filiatrault (2016), George Clark (2017), Gene Currier (2018), Mike Rahaley (2019), Chris Nern (2020), Tom Gallagher (2021), William Hull (2022), Dennis Currier (2023), Matt Plaza (2025).
Matt Plaza '62
The honoree for the 2025-26 school year is Matthew Plaza who passed away in April of 2025.
Matt was born in October of 1943, to Anne and Michael Plaza. After graduating from the University of Detroit High School in 1962, Matt received his Bachelor's degree in chemistry from Eastern Michigan University. He spent the early part of his business career at Cook Paint, and then the bulk of it at PPG Industries, where he retired from.
Matt was very active with his alma mater giving generously for decades but also volunteering at home basketball games. Matt was also an advisory board member for the Emergency Medicine department at University of Michigan Medical Center. He was an avid golfer, and enjoyed collecting/working on British sports cars.
Matt was married to Inger for 52 years and they had two children, Brad (Erin) and Kristin (Scott), and granddaughters Parker, Madeline, and Paige.
Matt Plaza
Past Honorees
George Clark
Dennis Currier
Gene Currier
Tom Coyne
Frank Donagrandi
Bob Filiatrault
Orbie Gailes
Tom Gallagher
William Hull
Chris Nern
Mike Rahaley