Bernard Daly Educational Fund

The Bernard Daly Educational Fund is an education trust fund established in 1922 for the benefit of students graduating from high school in Lake County, Oregon. It is the oldest continuously operated place-based college scholarship fund in the United States. The fund is managed by a local board of trustees. Its assets total over $6,800,000, making it one of the largest scholarship funds in Oregon.

Bernard Daly Educational Fund
Founded1922
FounderBernard Daly
TypePrivate trust fund
FocusEducation
Location
Area served
Lake County, Oregon
MethodCollege scholarships
Key people
Dr. Mike Sabin (chairman)

Bernard Daly

Bernard Daly was a doctor, businessman, banker, rancher, state representative, state senator, county judge, and regent of Oregon State Agricultural College (now Oregon State University). Daly was born in Ireland on February 17, 1858. He immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1864. After graduating from medical school, he joined the United States Army. In 1887, Daly left the army and moved to Lakeview, Oregon where he began a private medical practice. Over the years, Daly played a very important role in the economic development of Lake County, establishing a number of successful businesses.[1][2]

When Daly died on January 4, 1920, he had business interests throughout Lake County. He was the largest stockholder in the Bank of Lakeview. He owned the largest ranch in south-central Oregon as well as a number of other businesses. He also owned at least 14 buildings in downtown Lakeview. All together his partnerships and investments brought the value of his estate to almost $1,000,000, a very large sum in 1920.[3]

Scholarship fund

In his will, Daly gave his fortune to the people of Lake County in the form of the Bernard Daly Educational Fund. In his will, Daly wrote:

It is my earnest desire to help, aid and assist worthy and ambitious young men and women of my beloved county of Lake, to acquire a good education, so that they may be better fitted and qualified to appreciate and help to preserve the laws and constitution of this free country, defend its flag, and by their conduct as good citizens reflect honor on Lake county and the state of Oregon.[1]

The fact that his will specifically directed that Daly scholarships be granted to women as well as men was very progressive for that era. Based on the terms of the will, the scholarships must be used to attend "schools, colleges, and technical schools of the State of Oregon."[1]

The first Daly Fund scholarships were awarded in 1922.[1] Today, the education fund Daly established is the oldest continuously operating place-based college scholarship in the United States.[4] It provides scholarships to three Lake County high schools, located in Lakeview, Paisley, and Silver Lake. Together, the three schools graduate approximately 100 students per year.[5] Each year, approximately 40 Lake County students attend college on Daly scholarships. The scholarship provides $2,000 per term, up to a maximum of $8,200 per year.[6] Since the fund was established, over 2,000 students from Lake County communities have attended college on Daly Fund scholarships.[7][8]

As a result of Daly Fund scholarships, Lake County is one of the best educated counties in Oregon. As of 1989, four of the town’s six attorneys, half of its doctors, five of its seven pharmacists, and all of the dentists in the community went to college with Daly scholarship.[9]

Fund administration

Since it was established in 1922, the Fund has continued to grow. As of 2006, it had over $6,800,000 in assets available to support scholarships for Lake County students.[6]

The Bernard Daly Educational Fund is governed by a five-person board of trustees. As of 2007, the trustees are: Dr. Mike Sabin of Lakeview (chairman); James C. Lynch of Lakeview (secretary/treasurer); Alan Parks of Silver Lake (trustee); and Ann Tracy of Lakeview (trustee).[6]

See also

References
  1. Cooper, Forest E., Introducing Dr. Daly, Lake County Historical Society, Maverick Publications: Bend, Oregon, 1986
  2. LaLande, Jeff and Cain Allen, "Dr. Bernard Daly", The Oregon History Project, Oregon Historical Society, www.ohs.org, 2005.
  3. "Dr. Bernard Daly Dies" Archived 2009-02-27 at the Wayback Machine, Lake County Examiner and Lakeview Herald, Lakeview, Oregon, January 8, 1920 (posted on Irish Sheepherders of Lake County website, www.irishsheepherders.com).
  4. Stern, Sam, Daly Fund Research Project Archived 2018-10-15 at the Wayback Machine, College of Education, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, accessed 14 October 2018.
  5. "Lake County High Schools – Oregon", Public School Review, www.publicschoolreview.com, January 10, 2009.
  6. "Return of Private Foundation", IRS Form 990-PF, Internal Revenue Service, United States Department of Treasury, Washington, D.C, May 31, 2007.
  7. "Smith, Wyden Introduce Bill to Rename Lakeview Post Office After Local Hero", Press release, Press Office of Senator Gordon Smith, United States Senate, Washington, D.C., May 16, 2008.
  8. "Statements on Introduced Bill and Joint Resolutions", S. 3015, by Senator Gordon Smith and Senator Ron Wyden, Congressional Record—Senate, Washington, D.C., May 14, 2008, p. S4183.
  9. Hamilton, Don, "Doctor’s Gift Sends Lake County to College," The Oregonian, 5 September 1989, p. 1.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.