(above, l-r) Past District Governor Dr. D. Michael Hart; President Elect Liz Ensslin; fiance Sheronda Baker; daughter Morgan; parents Juanita and Willie Nelson; and Rotary Club President Clark Lagemann. This was for the presentation of the Paul Harris Fellow Honor.
Rotary Club of Westfield Hosts Annual Scholarship Luncheon
Submitted by Dr. Michael Hart
The Rotary Club of Westfield, NJ hosted their annual Scholarship Luncheon in June. This year $99,000 was awarded to 18 students, which included awards ranging from $2,000 to $15,000. This is the largest scholarship program in Westfield. The Rotary Club interviews and selects students for their scholarships plus other programs in town which include funds administered by The Westfield Foundation. Several benefactors have created funds to help students achieve their goals. Every student who applies is interviewed. The Chairman of the Rotary Club Foundation is Phil Salerno and the chair of the Foundation Scholarship committee is Carl Peer, Esq.
Members of the scholarship committee include: Jayson Astel, Tony LaPorta, Mary Ellen O’Boyle, and Deidre Gelinne. The Executive Director for the Westfield Foundation, Betsy Chance, awarded the Chester Gerdes Scholarship, The Robert and Winifred Read Law Scholarship and Health Scholarships. Don and Kate Maxwell presented the Don Maxwell Scholarship; Jayson Astel presented the Georgianna Pollack Scholarship; Tony LaPorta presented the Harry Sturcke Scholarship; and Mary Ellen O’Boyle presented the Charles and Florence Wallace Scholarships. The two Wallace scholarships are 4 year scholarships for $3,750 per year, totaling $15,000 each.
The Rotary Club of Westfield was founded in 1921, 98 years ago. The next year, a young educator named Mabel Douglas spoke to the club about the value of educating women. Douglass College was named after her, and is now part of Rutgers University. In 1922 the Rotary Club started a loan program to students including women. When World War II came, the program stopped because everyone was going to war instead of college. After the War, College loans were not needed because of the GI bill. In 1967 the Rotary started the scholarship program and has given out approximately $3.5 million. Over the past decades, benefactors have donated funds to either the Rotary Club Foundation to the Westfield Foundation for the purpose of creating scholarships as a legacy.
The Rotary Club of Westfield bestowed a Paul Harris Fellow as a posthumous honor on Dr. Derrick Nelson. Dr. Nelson was a veteran in the Army Reserves and served in Kuwait. He was the Westfield High School Principal and died on April 8 from surgical complications after donating his bone marrow to a student he did not know. He was 44 years old. The Rotary Motto is “Service Above Self” and Dr. Nelson exemplified this principal of Service Above Self in his life and career. The presentation was made by Past District Governor Dr. D. Michael Hart, President elect Liz Ensslin and Rotary Club President Clark Lagemann. Paul Harris was the man who founded Rotary in 1905 in Chicago. It is now a worldwide service organization of 1.2 million business men and women in 166 countries.
(above, l-r) President Clark Lagemann; High School acting Principal James DeSarno; 17 of the 18 students receiving scholarships; Superintendent of Schools Margaret Dolan; Scholarship Chair Carl Peer.
The scholarships were awarded as follows:
The Rotarian Scholars
Emily Wistner, Penn State University; Julianne Aronson, Washington University; Lia Varga, University of Delaware; Sloane Silverman, Loyola University; Jaimie DeDea, Virginia Tech University
Bob Maxwell Scholar
Steven Zucker, Ithaca College
Georgianna Pollack Scholar
Kathyrn Armstrong, University of Virginia
Chester A. Gerdes Scholar
Jack Gerris, Michigan State University
Henry Sturcke Scholars
Margaret Kelly, Boston University; Rachel Harvey, The College of New Jersey; Lillian Paone Ithaca College
Charles & Florence Wallace Scholars
Daniel Han, Rutgers University
Robert & Winifred Reed Law Scholarship
Emma Herber, William & Mary; Mackenzie Dulski, Villanova University
Robert & Winifred Reed Health Science Scholarships
Bridget Scaglione, University of South Carolina; Carlee Swanson, Sacred Heart University
Charles & Florence Wallace Scholars
Brianna Hatch, Washington and Lee University; Lauren Kamienski, University of Delaware
