The Ohio University Development Office is attempting to bolster a scholarship fund established 50 years ago in memory of a woman who dedicated herself to educating the underprivileged.
Eleanor Giffo rd was a volunteer for the Episcopal Church who came to Athens County to serve and teach underprivileged individuals. On Jan. 3, 1949, she was murdered after she came home to find three men burglarizing her house.
In an effort to help others, as Gifford had done, some generous people banded together to create an Ohio University scholarship to support underprivileged youth from Athens County. This year, to mark the scholarship’s 50th year in existence, an effort is being made to increase the size of t he endowment to at least $50,000 — $1,000 for each year it has existed. The fund now stands at $25,000.
