Hendersonville resident Pat Whitmire was moved emotionally when he learned that his longtime friend, the late Jake A. Rusher, left a portion of his estate to help students attend college. When the gift yielded a more than $1.3 million endowed scholarship fund at Western Carolina, Whitmire was elated.

“I was delighted that he left such a generous amount for scholarships, and I’m delighted they will benefit students at WCU, which, as Jake knew, is close and dear to my family,” said Whitmire. He had urged Rusher to consider starting a scholarship at WCU, where Whitmire’s father, Boyce A. Whitmire, served on the board of trustees in the 1970s, and his nephew, John Whitmire, is a faculty member. “Jake and I had talked about his leaving money to college students for scholarships because young people were a big part of the success of his business,” said Whitmire.

Rusher was a World War II veteran who owned and operated the Royal Pines club, pool and park in southern Buncombe County for more than 50 years. Dubbed the “beach club of the mountains,” Royal Pines hosted performers including The Supremes, The Coasters, Bo Diddley, The Shirelles and The Drifters over the years. Before Rusher retired, he made arrangements to donate the 8-acre property, which today is a city park. When he died at age 83 in 2003, he left millions of dollars to a range of charities.

The Jake A. Rusher Scholarship honors Rusher’s appreciation for the many young people he employed and who frequented the club and pool, as many did enroll at Western Carolina, said Rusher’s nephew, Mack Rusher. The fund also honors Rusher himself – a fitting tribute to him and his life, said Steve Metcalf, a member of the WCU board of trustees. “Jake was a really interesting, dedicated man who had a love for children and the young people of Western North Carolina,” said Metcalf, who was county manager in Buncombe County when he first met Rusher.

The first Jake A. Rusher Scholarship was awarded this year to Rachel M. Bleich (pictured above), who enrolled as a freshman at WCU in the fall. Bleich graduated salutatorian of the class of 2008 at St. Stephens High School in Hickory, and was considering WCU in her search for a university where she could pursue a degree in chemistry. “I realized that I could use chemistry, which I loved, to help others and make a difference,” she said. After a review of her application and an invited interview with the Western Carolina University Foundation board of directors, she was offered a full scholarship package, which included the inaugural $5,000 Rusher scholarship. “When I was awarded the scholarship, it became abundantly clear that I was meant to come to WCU,” said Bleich. “This scholarship has been such a blessing to me and my family, especially in these more difficult economic times.”

Bleich was one of six WCU students in 2008-09 to whom the foundation was able to extend renewable scholarship packages designed to cover the full cost of tuition, fees, book rentals, and room and board – packages valued at more than $10,000 each year. The other 2008-09 full scholarship package recipients were Christina E. Banner of Conover, Zachary T. Hollifield of Canton, Casey T. Icenhour of Lenoir, Jordan E. Monroe of Candler and Allen R. “Tripp” Lewis of Gastonia. Foundation scholarship packages valued at more than $5,000 also were awarded to Julie R. Thomas and Candace M. Pulliam, both of Canton.

Recipients say receiving the scholarship package was a dream come true. “It was a sign that this is where I needed to be,” said Lewis, a music education major from Gastonia who plays baritone in the Pride of the Mountains Marching Band and participates in organizations including the Presbyterian Student Ministry and Teaching Fellows. For others, such as Icenhour, a graduate of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics and a first-generation college student in his family, receiving the full scholarship package meant a lot personally too. “It feels great to be recognized, and I do not have to worry about scraping money together. I can take advantage of all that WCU has to offer,” said Icenhour, an electrical engineering major.

The scholarship packages were made possible by combining several awards and returns from endowed scholarship funds created to honor university alumni, supporters and leaders. The foundation may not be able to award as many new scholarship packages or scholarships this year, however, a result of the economic slowdown, which has affected investments globally, including endowed scholarship funds. WCU expects to award about 25 percent less scholarship money than last year, said Jim Miller, associate vice chancellor for development at WCU. “We are asking those who can to support or temporarily redirect their gifts to funds such as the Loyalty Fund, which is set up so that contributions can directly and immediately be awarded as scholarships in the coming year,” said Miller.

When WCU Staff Senate members learned that the Staff Senate’s endowed scholarship would not yield the expected annual $500 gift this year, they agreed to use money from a fundraising yard sale and other gifts to award the scholarship this year. “This scholarship was created to help the sons and daughters of WCU staff members afford to attend Western Carolina,” said Lisa Frady, chair of the organization’s scholarship committee. “Times are so hard right now that we just felt like scholarships like this are more important than ever. We could not let our students down.”

FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP PACKAGES

Among the scholarships awarded by the Western Carolina University Foundation were full- and half-scholarship packages developed by combining awards, such as The Chancellor’s Award and the Distinguished Scholar Award, and allocations from several endowed funds created to carry on the legacy of alumni and WCU friends. In addition to the Rusher scholarship, they include:

• The Scott and Shirley M. Border Scholarship, which honors the late Scott Border ’76 and Shirley McCracken Border ’72 MAEd’75, devoted alumni who worked, respectively, in sales, and special education and financial consulting.
• The Bill and Faye Stallings Family Scholarship, which honors the late entrepreneur and businessman Bill Stallings ’61.
• The Linda Rader Scholarship, which honors the late Linda Israel Rader ’58 MAEd ’61, who was a teacher and past president of the North Carolina Association of Educators.
• The T. Ray and Frances Louise Gibbs Scholarship, which honors the late T. Ray Gibbs ’34, whose achievements include serving as superintendent of Forsyth County Schools.
• The Mildred Miller Fort Scholarship, which honors a seasonal Highlands resident who thought highly of the WCU students she met.
• The Adah C. and Horatio Helder Scholarship, which honors the late Horatio Helder, a Champion Papers executive and member of the WCU board of trustees.

Find out how you can help meet the critical need for scholarships by calling (828) 227-7124 or going to the Giving to WCU Web site at http://give.wcu.edu