FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 6, 2021
For More Information:
Glenville State College
Public Relations & Marketing
(304) 462-4115
GLENVILLE, WV – In 2019, the late Mary J. Griffith created a scholarship at Glenville State College (GSC). Recently, with an additional gift received from her estate, the fund has grown to nearly $2 million.
The Mary J. Griffith Scholarship was established to aid young men and women in financing their college education. Griffith viewed this as a way of expressing her appreciation for the opportunities her time at Glenville State College gave her. She felt passionately about her philosophy, “An education is essential for success in life,” and wanted to make getting an education more attainable for everyone.
Recipients of the Mary J. Griffith Scholarship will be selected by GSC’s Scholarship Committee from a list of students who meet the standard academic requirements. The award can be renewed for four years so long as the student maintains a 3.0 GPA and is making continuous academic progress toward their degree.
Griffith grew up in Glenville, West Virginia, and was the second of five children. After she graduated from Glenville High School, she continued her education at Glenville State, graduating in 1942 with a degree in English and social studies. During her time at Glenville State, she worked as a reporter and advertising staffer for the campus newspaper and participated in theater. After graduation, she moved to Ohio and taught secondary school for a year before switching to other jobs in different states. Two of those jobs included working at the Social Security Office in Warren, Ohio and doing visual inspection for the U.S. Navy at Colson Corporation. She spent years working at the Social Security Administration Office in Baltimore, Maryland until she retired. Griffith was devoted to her siblings and the careers she chose to pursue. She spent her last years in Catonsville, Maryland where she read books, wrote stories, and attended classes at the Catonsville Senior Center. She enjoyed writing stories for the Grapevine, the newspaper publication at the Center.
“We are privileged to help honor Ms. Griffiths memory through this scholarship,” said David Hutchison, Vice President of Advancement at GSC. “Mary’s philosophy was ‘an education is essential for success in life,’ and through this fund, future Glenville State students will be able to pursue their education with a lighter financial burden.”
To contribute to the Mary J. Griffith Scholarship or to learn about establishing a scholarship at Glenville State College, contact Hutchison at David.Hutchison@glenville.edu or call (304) 462-6381.
