$200,000 Donation to Braintree Schools Means More Technology

Every Braintree Public Schools classroom will have a short-throw projector and document camera, and iPads will go out for use with remedial reading and math and special education students at the elementary level thanks to a $200,000 donation recently received by the school department.

Dr. John F. McGee, a longtime Braintree resident and optometrist in Braintree Square, left the money for technology at the schools in his trust. It comes on top of a donation of $1,000 scholarships he provided last spring for 25 graduating seniors.

The $200,000 will have a "significant impact" on the school system, Superintendent Dr. Peter Kurzberg said. The projectors and cameras will be given to each classroom currently without the technology.

"Dr. McGee loved Braintree and was proud to have his business flourish here," Trustees Richard and Lynda Campbell wrote in a letter. "'Doc,' as he was known to friends, often reminisced about his struggles in medical school and getting his business up and running as a young man.

"In his journey through life, he felt many people, even many strangers, came to his aid when he least expected it or when he needed it most. Many of these mentors formed the person he became. He felt education was the foundation of our community and our country."

Prior to moving to Braintree in the early 1950s, Dr. McGee graduated from Penn State, was a private pilot and World War II veteran. He died at his home in Braintree Highlands at age 87 in 2009.