Billionaire gives University of Massachusetts graduates a surprise gift of $1,000 each - but there’s a catch

Rob Hale, who owns a minority stake in the Boston Celtics, pointed to a truck laden with envelopes stuffed with cash then dished out $1,000 to each of the students

Rob Hale, who owns a minority stake in the Boston Celtics, pointed to a truck laden with envelopes stuffed with cash then dished out $1,000 to each of the students - but it came with a condition (DOMINEY PHOTOGRAPHY LLC)

A billionaire philanthropist surprised the graduating class of more than 1,000 University of Massachusetts Dartmouth students with envelopes stuffed with cash - but the gift came with a catch.

Rob Hale surprised the graduating class by pointing to a nearby truck holding envelopes stuffed with cash before security guards lugged cash-filled duffel bags onto the stage.

Hale, the founder and chief executive of Granite Telecommunications, Hale is estimated by Forbes to have a net worth of $5.4 billion, told the students each would get $1,000.

But there was a condition: They were to keep $500 and give the rest away.

Rob Hale surprised the graduating class by pointing to a nearby truck holding envelopes stuffed with cash before security guards lugged cash-filled duffel bags onto the stage. (DOMINEY PHOTOGRAPHY LLC)

Hale, who owns a minority stake in the Boston Celtics, said the greatest joy he and his wife Karen had experienced in their lives had come from the act of giving.

“We want to give you two gifts. The first is our gift to you,” Hale told the students. “The second is the gift of giving. These trying times have heightened the need for sharing, caring and giving. Our community needs you, and your generosity, more than ever.”

Hale, the founder and chief executive of Granite Telecommunications, Hale is estimated by Forbes to have a net worth of $5.4 billion, told the students each would get $1,000. But there was a condition: They were to keep $500 and give the rest away. (DOMINEY PHOTOGRAPHY LLC)

It's the fourth year in a row that he has given a similar gift to a group of graduating students. Last year it was to students at UMass Boston, and before that it was to students at Roxbury Community College and Quincy College.

But the students at UMass Dartmouth had no idea in advance that Hale would be speaking. Graduating students that didn't attend the ceremony missed out on the money. Hale told students his path to success had been rocky, after his previous company Network Plus filed for bankruptcy in 2002, during the dotcom crash.

“Have you ever met someone who lost a billion dollars before? Hale said, as he joked about giving the students career advice. "I may be the biggest loser you ever met, and you have to sit in the rain and listen to me.”