2020 marks the 60th anniversary of the May E. Tisdale Scholarship Fund, which awards college scholarships to the children and grandchildren of UCT members. This was established by UCT’s Supreme Auxiliary; the program is administered by auxiliary past international presidents and is supported through memorials, gifts and donations.
The May E. Tisdale Scholarship Fund awards a number of scholarships based on contributions received each year. Last year the fund awarded 63 scholarships of $700 each to recipients in the U.S. and Canada. This made for a lot of happy kids, and hopefully it will make just as many happy this year.
UCT was founded in 1888 by eight traveling salesman and at the time was specifically restricted to male commercial travelers. As time went by, the wives, mothers and daughters of UCT members felt a need for their own organization. They had issues they wanted to support and opinions they wanted to voice. They worked to be recognized at the local, regional and international levels of UCT, eventually establishing the organization’s Ladies Auxiliary.
The first session of the Auxiliary was held in 1933 in Columbus, Ohio, with May E. Tisdale of the Minnesota-North Dakota Auxiliary elected temporary chairman. The first annual convention was held in 1936.
In 1958 May E. Tisdale helped to develop and present to the auxiliary the idea of a scholarship fund for the purpose of providing educational assistance to the children of UCT members. In 1960 the May E. Tisdale Educational Trust Fund was approved. It would later come to be known as the May E. Tisdale Scholarship Fund.
The May E. Tisdale Scholarship Fund committee meets at the annual UCT convention to review the scholarship applications received throughout the year and grant scholarships. Unfortunately, due to the convention cancellation this year, they will not be meeting in person, but they will still be awarding scholarships to deserving kids.
Scholarship applications are available on our website at www.uct.org, and can be found here. If any member would like a scholarship application for a child or grandchild, please email me at aneal@uct.org or call 800.848.0123 x1100. I would happy to send you one. The deadline to submit a May E. Tisdale scholarship application is June 15.
Don’t forget that the fund relies solely on donations to be able to award scholarships each year, so every contribution helps! Donations can be sent to Carolyn Dobschensky at 6286 Alexandra St., Saginaw, MI 38541.
Thank you!
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