Courtesy photo
LOWELL – Comedian, car enthusiast and Andover native Jay Leno will provide one lucky winner with the chance to meet him and tour his legendary Big Dog Garage in Burbank, California, through an online auction to benefit UMass Lowell.
Beginning on Monday, June 8, through Friday, June 12, bidders may stake their claim to the prize, which will grant one winner and up to four guests a visit with Leno in the garage, a 140,000 square-foot facility that holds his collection of more than 250 rare and specialty cars and more than 150 motorcycles.
Leno and his team rebuild and restore vehicles in the shop, famously seen in the CNBC series “Jay Leno’s Garage.”
Auction proceeds will benefit the Professor Joseph Dorsey Memorial Scholarship, which supports UMass Lowell physical therapy students who demonstrate strong academic performance, leadership and dedication to serving others.
The fund is named in Dorsey’s honor as the founder of UMass Lowell’s physical therapy program, which this year marks its 50th anniversary as the first and only offering of its kind at a public college or university in Massachusetts. Dorsey was also Leno’s physical education teacher at Andover High School.
“He was just a wonderful man,” Leno said of Dorsey in a video promoting the auction, which also featured the former “Tonight Show” host discussing the importance of investing in students through scholarship support and the gratification that comes from helping students succeed.
Leno has provided garage tours for more than 30 years in support of causes that reflect his charitable priorities, particularly education.
UMass Lowell’s physical therapy program offers the only doctorate in the field of any public university in Massachusetts. It is one of more than 42 master’s programs, 36 doctoral degrees and more than 100 graduate certificates offered by the university, which for the second time in three years has been designated the No. 1 public university in Massachusetts according to The Wall Street Journal. UMass Lowell is also a Carnegie-classified Research 1 university, a benchmark used to identify the country’s top research institutions.
“We’re immensely grateful to Mr. Leno for providing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we’re proud to count him among UMass Lowell’s many supporters,” said John Feudo, vice chancellor of university advancement and global engagement. “The Dorsey Memorial Scholarship is an excellent opportunity to honor a pioneer in education and to help ambitious students achieve their goals in an important field. I’m confident that Mr. Leno’s enthusiasm—for education and classic cars—will encourage many people to participate.”
Efforts to fund the Dorsey Memorial Scholarship come as the university engages in a broader Designing the Future campaign. Launched last fall, the multi-year campaign elevates UMass Lowell’s work ensuring student success and forging new connections between academia and industry, particularly through the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor (LINC), an innovation ecosystem reshaping Lowell’s economic future.
Payment is required only from the winning bidder, whose contribution may qualify as tax-deductible. For complete contest rules, interested individuals are encouraged to visit the auction website at www.uml.edu/lenogarage.
