In 2027, the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the first recipients of the Founders’ Memorial Scholarship. The fund was created in 1951 to mark the 60th anniversary of the Nineteenth Century Club, and awards began the following year. Since its establishment, the Founders’ Memorial Scholarship has provided more than $1,000,000 in scholarships to 349 graduates of Oak Park River Forest High School.
The scholarships were originally designed to help young female graduates of Oak Park River Forest High School attend college. The first recipient of the Founders’ Memorial Scholarship was Gladys Greening. She received $500 to attend Blackburn College in Carlinville, Illinois. The first male recipients of the Founders Memorial Scholarship were DeVaughn Benion Jr. and Steven Copher in 2015. The current level of $2,500 per student, per year was established in 2023. The Founders’ Memorial Scholarship has no restrictions on how the money may be used, giving students flexibility in how they utilize the funding- books, supplies, transportation, etc. To learn more, or to donate to the Scholarship Fund, please visit www.nineteenthcentury.org.