The Marshall Community Foundation is pleased to announce the creation of the Faye Berry Memorial Scholarship. Applications will be accepted next spring for academic grants applied to the upcoming 2022-2023 school year.
Faye Berry was a widely-respected 65-year resident of Marshall who passed away in April 2021. Mrs. Berry started her education career as a kindergarten teacher and retired from the Calhoun Intermediate School District as a school psychologist. “Faye was brilliant at solving the mysteries of why students had difficulty learning, and took professional joy in helping children become successful while changing their self-image,” noted Kurt Conrath, a former Marshall resident and neighbor of the Berry family. “This scholarship is a way to honor her memory and offers financial encouragement to the next generation of educators who wish to help students ‘blossom.’”
In addition to her full-time career, Mrs. Berry also fulfilled her civic duty by serving on the Marshall City Council for eight years in the 1980s. “Faye loved being in the thick of things on the Council,” remembered Paula Berry Kintigh, eldest of three Berry daughters. “She was very social in the community, and wanted to know—and be involved with—what was going on.”
As a further expression of their community engagement, Mrs. Berry and her late husband, John (formerly a school teacher at Battle Creek Central High School), also graciously opened their Gothic Revival-style “Hillside” home on West Prospect Street six times for the Marshall Historic Home Tour.
The Faye Berry Memorial Scholarship is open to a wide variety of candidates seeking a two- or four-year college or university degree or post-graduate program with interest or specialization in education. Special consideration is given to those expressing long-range interest in pursuing one of the key special education related services positions (such as school-based psychologist, social work, speech therapy, occupational therapy, counseling, physical therapy, therapeutic recreation specialist or special education teacher). Applicants may be Marshall High School (MHS) graduating seniors or former graduates, or a current MHS teacher pursuing an advanced degree. Due to Mrs. Berry’s contribution to the Marshall community, the scholarship selection committee will also give special consideration to candidates with volunteer community or service involvement.
The Marshall Community Foundation is now accepting donations to the endowment scholarship fund in Faye Berry’s memory. For more information, visit www.marshallcf.org, email [email protected] or call (269) 781-2273.
###
The Marshall Community Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to improving quality of life in Marshall, and throughout Calhoun County. The Foundation holds permanently endowed funds from a range of donors, and serves as a conduit for special projects and the distribution of grants in support of innovative programs. For more information about the Foundation, visit www.marshallcf.org.