After 12 years of graduating every grade together, twin brothers Dominique and Stafford Oliver, 17, walked side by side thorough the halls of Calvert Hall College High School for one of the last times on June 1.
The Olivers reminisced the next day about each other and their achievements and looked forward to next year, when Dominique and Stafford will attend Columbia University and Boston College, respectively.
Most importantly, the brothers discussed the aid they received from former Ravens defensive end Michael McCrary?s Mac?s Miracle Fund program, which helped the Olivers attend Calvert Hall ? and their relationship with McCrary himself.
“One thing I know is that he has the biggest hands. I tried on his Super Bowl ring one time,” Stafford said, with a laugh. “And I thought my hands were pretty big.”
But bigger than his hands, the brothers said, was McCrary?s impact on their lives and their productive years at Calvert Hall.
“He?s been a great role model and we respect everything that he?s done for us,” Dominique said. “He?s made a difference in our lives.”
Calvert Hall Director of Admissions Chris Bengel said McCrary attended the Olivers? June 1 graduation and honors convocation and also visited the school.
The Olivers, who grew up in Parkville, received financial assistance to attend Calvert Hall from the school itself, which costs about $9,000 per year, Bengel said. Once at the school, he said, the brothers were put in touch with McCrary.
“[Graduation] was sort of a sigh of relief, but at the same time, this is the last time we?ll be with each other at school,” Dominique said.
Stafford added, “We have 291 brothers, so it?s a beginning and it?s an end.”
The Olivers said they tried to follow in McCrary?s footstepsby giving back to the community. They volunteered at Hispanic Apostolate in Baltimore, co-coordinated a Big Brother program with children at St. Ambrose Outreach Center, and started a pen pal system with a brother school in Ethiopia.
“Michael gives back, and I think that?s very important for people these days,” Bengel said. “Our graduate profile is a man of intellect, a man of faith and a man of integrity. There?s not a question that Dominique and Stafford represent that to the fullest and will for years to come. They?re special young men.”
