NEW YORK — A physics professor at The City College of New York was surprised by an extra special "Secret Santa" gift: a cardboard box with $50 and $100 bills, totaling $180,000.
The over nine-month delayed discovery was made by Harlem college professor and department chair Vinod Menon, who told 1010 WINS that the surprise was "one of the biggest" he's had, other than the typical "surprises in the lab."
The box of cash, postmarked Nov. 10, 2020, that Menon opened, was left with an outside return address with the name "Kyle Paisley" on it, who Menon said is not a physics student at the university.
"There was nobody by that name that's studied at City College in physics," he added.
However, an unsigned letter left inside the box explained that the mystery donor was a former City College undergraduate math and physics student who went on to get his masters degree at CCNY. They said they made the large donation “to be used solely to support deserving junior and senior physics majors in the department who are also doubling with a mathematics major — and in need of financial support to continue their studies.”
"Assuming that you are a bit curious as to why I am doing this the reason is straightforward: the excellent educational opportunity available to me — which I took full advantage of at CCNY (and Stuyvesant High School) — gave me the basis to continue to develop first to an M.A. in Physics (also from CCNY), then a double Ph.D. (Physics and Astronomy), and finally a long, productive, immensely rewarding to me, [a] scientific career," the letter added.
While Paisley has not been able to be tracked down, Menon said he understands if the donor did not want to make "news" with their generous donation.
"Of course, it's now caught the attention of all the news agencies," he added.
Menon said the donation is really a testament to the "quality of education" that City College and CUNY provide.
The generous donation will fund two full scholarships for about 12 years, WCBS 880's Peter Haskell reported.
"A lot of our students come from backgrounds where either no one else has gone to college or they're one of the first people to go to college, or they are actually working another job," he said.
Menon, who emigrated from India and holds a Ph.D., called his time at City College a "joy," rejecting offers he's received to teach at other institutions.
"The joy of working at City College, and the joy of making an impact on students ... not because they are not motivated, not because they are not driven ... but because they lack the opportunities and they lack the awareness to make a difference in their lives is much more satisfying," Menon said.
Menon has no idea who sent the gift, but it makes him proud of his school.