Scholarship Report 2010

Caleb Robitaille receives his scholarship from Maurice Pease.

During this year’s reunion Maurice Pease, Scholarship Custodian presented four scholarships on behalf of the Chester High Alumni Association, noting that while the economy isn’t great, we continue to be able to support deserving students from Chester. 

The Pearl and Raymond Choufett Scholarship was awarded to Caleb Robitaille. Pease noted that since this fund was created, scholarships totalling over $110,000 have been awarded. 

Scholarships from the Permanent Scholarship Fund are made possible from a number of sources included donations from alumni and life memberships in the Association. This year’s scholarships went to Steven Ellershaw and Catherine Donovan. 

Maurice Pease congratulates Steve Ellershaw. Catherine Donovan was unable to attend.

Pease yielded the floor to retiring secretary Edith Whitaker for the presentation of the Amelia Jones Scholarship to her grandson Korey Whitaker. Edith noted it was a special honor to do so “on behalf of the alumni and Association. Moe noted that the Amelia Jones Scholarship has awarded over $170,000  in scholarships since it’s inception. 

Edith Whitaker makes the formal presentation to Korey.

When I asked Moe how long he’d been handling the scholarship program he said it’d been “too many years to count” and all he could say is “since Rachel (Rachel Rose Doyle Meher) gave it up.”  Moe will continue to serve as a custodian, but has passed the chairmanship to Duane C. Pease.  Graduating students from Chester are encouraged to contact their guidance counselor for scholarship information. 

The “unaudited” balance of all scholarship funds managed stood at $157,236.38 at the time of the reunion. While this may at first appear to be a sizeable number, it’s important to remember in most cases we are only allowed to use the income from these funds; not the principal. 

As a personal note, I had one of last year’s recipients contact me and make a point of expressing appreciation explaining that were it not for the scholarship she received she would have had to drop out of college. 

We do good stuff! 

The current scholarship custodians are Duane C. Pease of Chester, Maurice Pease of Middlefield, and Bruce Cooper of Russell.

Chester Student Nominated for Anapolis

According to a recent article in the Country Journal, Gateway Senior Student Korey Whitaker has been nominated to the Naval Academy at Anapolis, Maryland. Among the many factors supporting his nomination he is in the top 10% of his class, a member of the National Honor Society and active in sports and community activities.

Blue Devils and Quarriers might suggest we add that he is the grandson of Edith Cooper Whitaker, our association’s secretary as a reason he should be one of the nominees that gets accepted. I’m not sure the Academy will make that part of the decision, but we think it’s great! Congratulations to Korey and his family…. and best wishes for success!

Preliminary Planning… 2010 Reunion!

If you do buy a calendar from the Historical Society, it will already have the date of next year’s reunion: June 26, 2010. That makes the fifty year class the class of 1960 — and you are featured on the jUne page of the calendar. The calendar lists James Mitchell, Glen Avery, Dennis Welin, Robert Goewey, John Walter Ferris, George Miller Jr., Roger McCaul, Gerald Biggs, Miriam Sternagle, Judith Rice, Joan Handsbury, Dorothy Blanchard, Bradley Black, Caol Pease, Paula Zisk, Richard Wilander, Marshall Black, Richard Carraway and Doreen Kelly as members. If you are one of these people… or have information about one of them, please let our secretary or let me know! If one of you would like to “organize” your class, we’ll help… it’s not to early to start contacting people.

Of course we’ll honor all the five year classes… so do the math! In fact, this is my own class’s 45th… so let’s see if we can “pack the depot” again this year… Any classes or ‘mates needing or wanting help, just let me know! We haven’t worked out the details yet, but don’t expect much change from last year… atttending is affordable, we’ve been at ten dollars per person in the past.

What other information should we list here to help you plan your trip?