By Sarah Shaffer
March 2, 2026
The Greater Denfeld Foundation would like to salute Mary and Tom Kero, the founders of the Matt Kero #4 Memorial Scholarship.
Mary and Tom founded the scholarship in 2011 after the passing of their son Matt. Matt was active in sports at Denfeld High School, including Hockey and Cross Country, Track, and was seen as a leader by his classmates. So, following the leadership example of their son, Mary and Tom stepped up and created this Kero scholarship to support future leaders coming out of Denfeld High School. The first award was made in 2012.
Mary and Tom are very humble, but the scholarship is really amazing. I know a few friends from high school who were super excited to use it to help fund college. The scholarship is very important to the Keros. After their son’s passing they received many letters from teachers, coaches, students, and parents with condolences and stories about Matt. It was then that Mary and Tom decided to create a scholarship in his name to help Denfeld grads.
Mary & Tom Kero at the 2025 GDF Scholars Reception
“We knew we could do something,” said the Keros. They worked with staff from Denfeld and the Greater Denfeld Foundation to set it up. They wanted the scholarship to be reflective of Matt and the interests he cared deeply about and the characteristics others saw in him so stipulated that the award should go to “student athletes who have balanced athletic achievement, academics, leadership and citizenship throughout their high school careers”. The amount of the scholarship traditionally referenced Matt’s favorite event in track (1600 meter) and his hockey jersey number 4 and was initially offered at $1,604. The Keros said “We would like to see the scholarship continue into perpetuity, recognizing students with huge potential just like Matt.”
One event the Keros spend a lot of time working on every year is the Matt Kero Memorial Invitational, which is a track meet held at Denfeld High School each spring. It is an event created in Matt’s honor that was spearheaded by the Denfeld Track Team and Coach Greg Goman. Mary and Tom are deeply involved in organizing and running it each year. “The passion and energy that Tom and Mary bring to the meet is second to none. The event is a success thanks to their efforts,” said Tom Pearson, Athletic Director at Denfeld High School. It is held yearly and funds from concessions, t-shirts and tickets are given to the Greater Denfeld Foundation to help support the scholarship. This year the track meet will be held on May 8th, 2026. The meet welcomes 16 teams to attend from all over the area. Mary and Tom are also able to meet past recipients of the scholarship as well as Denfeld students from the track team who help set up and run the track meet.
Tom Kero poses with medal winners after their race at the Matt Kero Invitational
“It’s a nice tribute to Matt,” said the Keros.
Thanks to years of hard work at the track meet and elsewhere, the scholarship continues to grow, first expanding to recognize both a boy and a girl, and now, to increase the award value to over $3,000. Lane Harstad, President of the Greater Denfeld Foundation added, “The dedication Tom and Mary have shown to build the fund and recognize more Denfeld student athletes with more scholarship dollars is simply amazing. The Greater Denfeld Foundation would be nothing without the generosity of people like Tom and Mary.” The Keros repeated that sentiment – explaining their hope to continue their fundraising efforts in order that more students from Denfeld are able to better afford a college experience. The Kero’s also wanted to express their gratitude to family, friends, and others who continue to support the scholarship with financial contributions or by volunteering at the meet.
The Keros are currently retired and live in the Duluth area, but when they aren’t working on the track meet, they travel to visit family living around the country. This winter the Keros went on a month-long road trip to visit their children and grandchildren in Oklahoma and Florida. Mary and Tom plan to continue to see the world, with a trip to Italy, and additional international trips coming up after that.
“Traveling is something we wanted to do for our retirement years.” said Mary.
Although created out of the tragedy that was Matt’s passing, the Matt Kero #4 Memorial Scholarship has recognized over 25 students for their leadership and potential. And for that, the Greater Denfeld Foundation wishes to express their gratitude to Mary and Tom Kero for their continued support.