Late each year as winter settles over exotic Bermuda, snowbirds Ernie and Brendalyn Stempel lock up their island home and retire to Cape Town for the South African summer. This allows Ms Stempel, a UCT alumna, to spend some time with her family, and also for the couple to catch up with the many UCT students that they support. The Stempels have since 1998 - through channels such as the Starr Foundation (of which Mr Stempel is a director), the Ernest Stempel Foundation and in their private capacity - contributed more than R6-million to UCT coffers, much of this earmarked for student bursaries. This year, true to form, another 12 students are benefiting through the various scholarships the Stempels have set up at the university. Most of these students recently attended a reception, hosted by the Department of Communication and Development, where they could extend their personal thanks to the couple.

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