A Lifelong Connection: For Frank and Caryl Bingham, It All Comes Back to Bryant
Frank and Caryl Bingham
Frank and Caryl met at Bryant. From their first encounter on the Providence campus in 1959, they could not have known it would be the start of a journey that would see marriage, children, two doctoral degrees, multiple businesses, and decades of leadership in education.
Frank Bingham '61, '72 MBA and Caryl (Whitcher) Bingham '61 AS, '71 BS are now distinguished alumni and recognizable fixtures of the Bryant community. The Binghams, through their annual giving are members of the Bryant Leadership Council. They have played a role in the surge in Bryant athletics as members of the Black & Gold Club. Most recently, they joined the 1863 Society when they included Bryant in their estate plan.
Over the course of starting a family and developing multiple successful careers, something always brought them back to Bryant. And they've established something of a family tradition, seeing their daughter, Deborah Gallucci '85 meet her husband, Ray Galluci '84, at their alma mater.
Soon after graduating, Frank began his career within the Speidel Corporation, one facet of the large Rhode Island-based employer, Textron. Bryant set Caryl on an academic path that would lead to a master's degree from URI and a doctorate in education from Vanderbilt University.
Even as Caryl pursued a career that would span 30 years in education and position her as a high school assistant principal, the Binghams displayed the entrepreneurial streak characteristic of Bryant alumni. They owned and operated a sales agency, two retail stores and a consulting practice.
The business experience gave Frank an edge in business-to-business marketing and industrial sales training. The Bryant connection remained strong and Frank returned to teach part-time early in the 1980s. Within a few years he completed a doctorate at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, which led to a full-time faculty role on the way to becoming chair of Bryant's marketing department.
The ties formed in the classroom proved to be an ongoing source of inspiration. "I have a very long list of former students with whom I keep in touch," says Frank. His strong relationship to generations of Bryant students earned Frank the Distinguished Faculty Award in 1998, presented by the Bryant Alumni Association. Even in retirement, the bond remains. "Bryant has been very supportive of its former faculty members," Frank says. "All of us from that era have never forgotten what Bryant has done for us."
Though the Binghams now split time between Florida and Rhode Island, they carry the affiliation wherever they go. They are active members of the wider Bryant community and ambassadors for the school at home and abroad. Frank and Caryl have been on several trips with the alumni travel program, most recently to Norway. They continue to attend events in Florida including the Naples St. Patrick's Day Parade, Red Sox spring training games, and the annual regional alumni event.
From students to alumni to faculty to parents, Frank and Caryl Bingham have lived every aspect of the Bryant experience. By including Bryant in their estate plan, they cement a lasting connection to the University and its history. "It's just a really unique place that will never leave us," says Frank.
