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About the Foundation
Who
is Mr. William D. Squires?
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Mr. William D. Squires was born in Granville,
Ohio. He graduated from Homer High School in Licking County in 1929, the year of the Stock
Market crash that marked the start of the Great Depression. The Depression ended any hope of fulfilling his dream
of a college education but did teach him to work hard and save earnestly. Because he had no heirs, William chose The
Foundation as a vehicle to distribute his estate for a very worthy cause. He desired to help place the dreams of
financially needy students within reach.
William
and all five of his brothers served in the military in World War II. All six brothers saw
combat. All six brothers returned home
safely. Their mother received a letter of
acknowledgement expressing the nation’s gratitude from The Secretary of War.
William
served with the United States Army during WWII and was a member of Company C, 47th Armored
Infantry Battalion, 5th Armored Division. He
was shipped overseas as a replacement for those killed or wounded in The Battle of the
Bulge. He was also awarded Battle Stars for
participating in the Battles of Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe.
After
WWII, William became a pipe fitter. His work
took him to large industrial projects all over the country although his home base
continued to be Middletown, Ohio. William
retired in 1977 and eventually moved to Arizona to be closer to his brother,
Ralph.
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Mr. William D. Squires
1/21/12 - 7/22/04
A Tribute
Mr. William D. Squires passed away
at the age
of 92. The Foundation Board Members, currently include his
sister-in law, Lena Squires, and four nieces. We will be forever grateful to
William for giving us the opportunity to be a part of his magnificent
legacy. The Foundation continues to enrich our lives as we watch
student's dreams turn into reality.
It warms our hearts to know that William was able to see the Foundation award the first 90 scholarships.
He also lived to see our first group of recipients graduate. Over 40 recipients of The William D.
Squires Scholarship graduated in 2004, only a few weeks
before his passing. A few of these students graduated a
year early. We are so proud of each and every one.
William truly enjoyed reading scholarship
applications and letters from recipients but appeared most
interested in seeing what colleges they chose. He was
partial to Dennison University and Ohio State University.
If you asked William what made the world go around, I don't think he
would have said love or money. He would have said education.
William will be missed but his
generosity will affect generations to come.
Sincerely,
Cynthia Squires Gross,
Executive Director
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When
did The William D. Squires Educational Foundation begin?
The Foundation was incorporated in January of 1999.
Then in December
of 1999, The Foundation received non-profit 501(c)(3) status as a family foundation and
at the same time, received approval of The William D. Squires Scholarship program from
the Internal Revenue
Service. After a year of development, The Foundation awarded a total of
40 scholarships
for the first time to students from the Graduating Class of 2000.
William’s
brother, Ralph L. Squires, was instrumental in envisioning and creating The
Foundation and served as the first President of the Board of Directors. Ralph's wife Lena B. Squires is
serving as Treasurer. The remaining Board Members are four of William's
nieces: Pamela A.
Bolen, voted in as the new president during the Board meeting of 2000;
Deborah Squires, vice-president; Judy K. Perry, Secretary; and Cynthia
S. Gross, Executive Director.
Ralph L. Squires was given the status of Lifetime Honorary Board Member
during the 2001 Board Meeting just a few months prior to his passing.
In Memoriam
Mr. Ralph L. Squires 8/27/22-11/23/01
The Foundation is saddened to note that Mr. Ralph L. Squires passed away
November 23, 2001, following an extended illness. The Board Members
would like to acknowledge that this Foundation was Ralph's vision, his
passion and certainly most of his motivation for living during his final
years. He was extremely proud of our efforts. William and Ralph each placed a high value on education.
Mr. Squires inspired us to rise to the challenges
that the Foundation presented. Working with the Foundation has
brought our family closer and continuously touches each of our hearts. After all,
what could be better than helping others reach for their dreams?
What
is the Mission of the William D. Squires Educational Foundation?
Our mission
is to provide financial assistance in the form of scholarships to students
demonstrating a financial need. Recipients must also have a clear
career goal, academic promise, good character, and a burning desire to
complete a higher educational program.
Our goal
is to award a maximum number of scholarships each year while perpetuating
the scholarship program for many years into the future.
Our hope
is to aid and encourage students that might not otherwise be able to afford
to continue their education at the level they desire. We hope our selection of recipients
includes financially needy students that might not otherwise be eligible for
traditional scholarships, such as academic or athletic
scholarships.
We want to watch them follow their dreams.....
Why
does The Foundation only give scholarships to students from Ohio? Why is the
Foundation office in Florida?
The Foundation is actually
incorporated in Arizona because William and Ralph were both residents of
Arizona when the Foundation began. But, it
was William's wish to give financial
assistance only to students from his home state of Ohio. William and all of the members of the Board of
Directors were born in Ohio and graduated from Ohio High Schools. After
the overwhelming response by applicants, we do not anticipate expanding our geographic area.
The current Board Members are spread out across
the country. The scholarship program
is managed from our office in Florida.
There
is obviously a great need for this type of scholarship, as shown by the number
of applicants. We would prefer to increase the number of scholarships
rather than narrow the eligibility requirements. This discussion leads
us to our next topic...donations. The best way to increase the number of
scholarships The Foundation can give each year will be to ask others for their
support through donations.
Would you
like to help students follow their dreams?
If you are considering making
a donation to The William D. Squires Scholarship Program or would like to
learn more about how you can help students follow their dreams, click here:
How to donate
How
many applications does the Foundation receive annually?
The Foundation receives around 1,000 applications each year.
Will The Foundation be
giving scholarships next year?
The Members of the Board of Directors for The Foundation are
hopeful that The Foundation can continue to give Scholarships for
many years.
Will
the scholarship program be the same every year?
The exact program details will be announced
each year when this Web site is updated, in mid to late December. The details, amount of the award, and number of recipients may
change on an annual basis.
May students apply in their Junior year?
No. Students that have not reached their Senior year must wait
to apply the year they are graduating from high school.
Juniors: Please stop back
in December to get the details for the upcoming graduating class.
46 recipients
of the William D. Squires Scholarship are attending college in the
2008-2009 school year. The
Foundation has awarded a total of 138 scholarships. The entire list of
recipients from the Class of 2000 through 2008, can be viewed here:
Recipients
Class
of 2000
The first year, The Foundation was able to award 40 scholarships to seniors
in the graduating class of 2000. The amount of the scholarship award has remained the same since the beginning;
$3,000 per
calendar year
and renewable up to three additional years, for a
total of $12,000.
We
feel strong about keeping the scholarship renewable. Some scholarships
and other financial aid programs are only for the freshman year. We are
attempting to help students that are extremely goal oriented and motivated to
complete their education, but will need financial assistance until they
graduate.
We
are excited that all recipients in the Class of 2000 have
graduated. That first year was a new experience for us. We have a
lot of great memories and our first class was a
source of great pride.
Class of 2001, 2002, and 2004
20 recipients of the William D. Squires Scholarship were chosen from the
graduating Class of 2001 and 2002. In 2004, 10 scholarships were awarded.
Class
of 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008
12 scholarships were awarded to
students in the Class of 2005, 2006, 2007 & 2008. To date,
the Foundation has awarded a total of 138 scholarships.
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