When John Coiro ’87 P’17 came to Peddie as a sophomore, he was seeking an academic challenge and a community experience.
He lived in Masters. He played football and baseball. He was a prefect, a member of the Gold Key Society and a tour guide. But Coiro’s commitment to the school, and to the Peddie community, has stretched beyond the bounds of his own education.
“I think that Peddie was the foundation for everything for me moving forward,” Coiro said. “Learning. Being able to speak publicly. Being comfortable with myself. That’s why I always feel so committed to Peddie, both financially and in other ways.”
John Coiro ’87 P’17 observes a member
of the Peddie robotics team in the
Digital Fabrication Lab.
As the president of Allentown, Inc., a manufacturer of supplies for biomedical research, Coiro is in a unique position to provide Peddie students with a peek into STEM careers. Last spring, he invited members of the robotics team to Allentown to watch professionally built robots at work.
“Robotics and the Digital Fabrication Lab are a perfect explanation of what Peddie is about,” he said. “Such a thing did not exist back in 1987. The core classes – the core values – are still here. They’ve just expanded so much as technology has advanced. Programming, robotics, other STEM subjects: when current students come back 30 years from now, those classes will be so different.”
Last year, Coiro celebrated his 30th reunion and had the pleasure of seeing his son, Michael Coiro ’17, graduate. He is also a member of the Peddie Leadership Council.
“As long as I can, I want to be involved,” he said.