Mary Logan Gilmer CLASS OF 1957
Thanks to the generosity of an alumna, six Lewis County High School graduates will reap the rewards when they enroll at Morehead State University this fall. Receiving awards from the Mary Logan Gilmer Scholarship Endowment Fund are Heather Logan, Mikia Madden, Samantha Parks, Kayla D. Polley, Clay Stamm and Ashley Wallingford. The scholarship has a total value of $8,000 during the next four years. One recipient will be added each year allowing Mrs. Gilmer’s dream of continually assisting Lewis County students with their educational endeavors, said Dr. John D. o’Cull (78), a member of the MSU Board of Regents and a Vanceburg dentist, in making the presentation at the high school’s awards ceremony in June. Mary Logan Gilmer (57), a Lewis County native born in 1920, was a firm believer in the value of a college education. To achieve her educational goals, she had to overcome many obstacles, including the financial burdens associated with higher education. After earning a degree in elementary education at MSU, she would fulfill a long and productive career in the teaching profession in North Carolina. When she retired, she was teaching the sixth grade in the Charlotte-Mecklinburg Schools in Harrisburg. She also taught gifted students in junior high school
her native county. Her goal was simple: to help alleviate the financial burden for future students. While she was happy to offer an award, even though it was smaller than she would have liked for it to be, she knew that eventually the money would be greater. With the passing of Mrs. Gilmer in 2008, an Endowment Fund was established with assistance from her son Larry. She left an estate gift to Morehead State that accelerated the scholarship fund to nearly a quarter of a million dollars. “Your mother has left quite a legacy,” Dr. O’Cull said in correspondence to her son. “I am very grateful that she has paved the way for Lewis County students and others that will follow in the future.” The Mary Logan Gilmer Scholarship Endowment Fund will provide scholarships to eligible students who were born in Lewis County or have lived there for at least five years. The recipients must have a high school grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, be unconditionally admitted for study at MSU, and have sufficient financial need. The scholarship is renewable for up to four years if the student maintains a minimum 2.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale in their studies at MSU. In the 2007 Alumni Directory, Mrs. Gilmer noted her fondest memory of her college days: “I shall always remember the beautiful campus, the natural woods with all its sounds of nature in the early hours during the study of ornithology.” With her endowment, she has ensured that many others will have the opportunity to experience life on the campus for years to come.
Dr. John O’Cull, from left, congratulated the 2009 Gilmer scholarship recipients: Ashley Wallingford, Clay the Stamm, Kayla D. Polley, Samantha Parks and Heather Logan. Also a recipient, not pictured, was during summers. Mikia Madden. (Photo: Courtesy of Lewis County High School.)
In 1992, Mrs. Gilmer established a scholarship to help in
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