ATHENS, WV (WVNS) — Concord University established a new scholarship fund in the name of Mary Jane Hobart.

Mary Jane Hobart’s children K. Bruce Hobart and Georgia Lee Ford (Class of 1972) helped establish the scholarship.

Hobart was a single mother who took care of her children while working as an elementary school teacher in the War area of McDowell County. She graduated from Concord with a degree in Education in 1964.

It’s been a 10-year process that started with raising money to purchase shoes for students in McDowell County, and has grown into a scholarship fund to honor my mother. I hope this will be just the beginning of something that will grow and benefit many students for years to come.

Bruce Hobart

The scholarship will be given to students with financial need, which is determined by the University Financial Aid Office and those who have shown evidence of academic promise. The scholarship funds will be used to cover necessary tuition fees and expenses.

Recipients of the scholarship must have a 2.5 cumulative GPA on their high school transcripts or at another institution of higher learning, and must be from McDowell, Mercer, or Nicholas County, with preference given to first-generation college students from McDowell County.

Scholarship selections will be made starting the fall term of the freshman year and can be held for eight consecutive semesters, as long as the students GPA remains at or above 2.5, and the student is in good standing with the Office of Student Affairs.

For more information about how to contribute to the Mary Jane Hobart Scholarship Fund, or how to start a new fund within the Concord University Foundation, contact Sarah Turner, Vice President for Advancement by email at slturner@concord.edu or by phone 304-384-5348.