FAMILY SUPPORTS CARLOW TRADITION The Midgleys Go Bowling 4 Bucks to Support Their University When her family was searching for a way to honor Eleanor Keener Midgley, an alumna from the class of 1943, they knew it had to revolve around Carlow University. “Carlow is a very integral part of the Midgley family tradition,” said Elizabeth Eleanor Erwin Brown, who shares an alma mater with her grandmother as a 2008 graduate in elementary education. “Ever since I could walk, I have been attending functions at Carlow with my grandmother.” Some of Brown’s earliest memories are going to the annual Christmas parties, where Midgley handmade elf suits for her granddaughters to wear when they stood next to Santa. She also remembers attending the Rosie Hauber Scholarship Luncheon, and going on lunch dates with her grandmother and Sisters of Mercy. When the family surprised Midgley several years ago with a scholarship in her name, she was excited beyond words. “I never thought I’d have a scholarship named in my honor,” she said. “They couldn’t have done anything better for me.” To endow the scholarship, her family wracked their brains for something they could do as a fundraiser.
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“Eleanor has three passions in her life: her faith, her family, and Carlow,” said Brown. “So when we started brainstorming fundraising ideas, we knew it had to be a family friendly event. We wanted something families could enjoy together. Who doesn’t love bowling?” Brown and her cousin Emily Bechtel, a 2007 graduate of the professional counseling program at Carlow, are the co-chairs of Bowling 4 Bucks, the annual event to raise money for the Eleanor Keener Midgley ’43 Endowed Scholarship. Midgley, Brown, and Bechtel are also on the Carlow Alumni Board. Bowling 4 Bucks has grown for the three years they’ve been hosting it. The first year there were about 18 people in attendance, and that grew to more than 50 the following year. In 2012, the event attracted 80 people, and the hope is that it will continue to grow. “We have about $2,000 to $3,000 left until the scholarship is fully endowed,” said Brown. “We would like to extend the Bowling 4 Bucks experience not only to our families and current donors but to the entire Carlow community.”
The Midgley family makes it clear that the reason the event continues to grow is because of the honoree. “Eleanor Mae is an amazing woman,” says Kathryn Midgley, another granddaughter and another student at Carlow, where she is currently a junior in the forensic accounting program. “She’s the reason our family is what it is. We are a force. She has taught us to be strong in the face of adversity, to fight for what is right, and to help those who cannot help themselves.”
Eleanor Midgley ’43 and family at the Rose Marie Hauber Scholarship Luncheon 2013.
Eleanor Midgley has been a trailblazer for her family in life and at Carlow. Now, thanks to her family, future students will get the opportunity to experience the Carlow spirit that Eleanor—and the rest of the Midgley family—exudes. “Our grandmother’s dedication to her faith and to Carlow have always been inspiring,” said Bechtel. “The scholarship felt like the best way to celebrate her and it has been an honor to co-chair the event. We hope more members of the Carlow family will join us in the future!”