Simmons Scholarship Fund

WEBUTUCK — The Violet H. Simmons Scholarship Fund plans a major 25th anniversary celebration this summer, July 14, at 6 p.m., to raise money for a significant expansion of its program to allow Webutuck graduates to explore opportunities anywhere in the world.

The scholarship fund, created in 1982 to honor Violet Simmons, a history teacher at Webutuck for 48 years, has benefited 36 students. The celebration will be held at Listening Rock Farm in Wassaic, which Alan and Julia Shope have made available for the event.

Every year the Simmons Scholars program gives a merit-based scholarship to a talented Webutuck high school student. In 2001, Simmons died and created an endowment at the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, which enables the fund to award one $10,000 scholarship to a student in four equal installments through their college years.

The fund’s summer enrichment program has provided seven students with extraordinary learning and life experiences. Scholarship recipients include an architecture student at Arizona State who studied sustainable building and planning techniques in Brazil; a Wellesley student who interned at Christie’s; an American University student who traveled to Cuba to study its economics and politics; a SUNY Binghamton computer engineering student who redesigned the Web Site of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Millbrook, an Ithaca College film major who attended a workshop in Maine, and an Asia studies student at Colby who will attend a Chinese language immersion course in Beijing this summer.

In 2002, one of Simmons’ former students, Barbara Thorlichen Riefle, died and bequeathed $41,000 to the scholarship fund. Riefle was an early and supporter of the Violet H. Simmons Scholarship Fund. Inspired by her generosity, the Simmons trustees initiated a capital campaign to raise an additional $70,000 to enable the summer enrichment program to become the scholarship fund’s second fully endowed program and to allow the fund’s merit scholarship program to be increased to two $10,000 scholarships.

"Barbara was a person committed to lifelong learning who continually challenged herself and those around her to excel and expand their horizons," Downey said. "She epitomized the values Miss Simmons taught us and we seek to encourage in Webutuck graduates with our Summer Enrichment Scholarship Program."

The dinner at Listening Rock Farm will cost $50 per person with a portion of the ticket price considered a charitable contribution. Reservations may be made in advance of that date by contacting Edward Downey at 518-789-4442 or eddowney@taconic.net. Tickets may also be purchased from Charlotte Murphy by calling 845-373-9906, or by contacting the Simmons Board of Trustees, which includes Edward Downey, Charlotte Murphy, Holly Nelson, Janet Reagon and Marilyn Unger. For more information, see simonsscholarshipfund.com.