A search through cyberspace has netted a $50,000 endowment for new scholarship funds for the West Virginia University Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences.
A Massachusetts resident discovered the WVU College on the web and chose it as the recipient of his generosity.
Richard Foulke of Stoneham, Mass., was one of 50 beneficiaries of a 12,000-acre parcel of land in southern West Virginia. In the summer of 1999 the land was sold and the proceeds divided.
“The property was located in West Virginia and I felt that is was only appropriate for me to support high school students within the state,”said Foulke. So, he took to the Internet for inspiration on worthy recipients.
With a particular interest in supporting students in agricultural and forestry fields, Foulke said he discovered the Internet site for WVU ’s Appalachian Hardwood Center and, through that, the College.
“I was impressed with the site and the programs it described,”Foulke said.”I contacted Curt Hassler, leader of the Appalachian Hardwood Center, and he put me in touch with the College.”
Foulke asked what it would take to fund tuition and fees for a state resident who is a graduate of a West Virginia high school. He then established the Foulke Meadow River Lands Scholarship, an endowment in memory of Jean Kane Foulke and Jean Kane Foulke duPont. He also provided $2,500 to allow the scholarship to be dispersed immediately.
The endowment is designed to provide a full tuition and fees scholarship in perpetuity. The scholarship is open to state residents who are graduates of West Virginia high schools. Incoming and current WVU students enrolled in agriculture and forestry programs are eligible for funding.
Foulke also expressed a continuing interest in the college and WVU . A computer chip professional, he is considering supporting programs in the Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. He also has written other beneficiaries of the land sale to suggest they use part of their proceeds from the sale to support West Virginia high school students.
The scholarship was created through a gift made to the WVU Foundation, a private non-profit organization, which is the designated agency to receive and administer gifts from private individuals and organizations for the benefit of West Virginia University and its affiliated organizations.