VERO BEACH — The Edward E. Ford Foundation of Portland Maine, which is dedicated to
encouraging and improving secondary education in U.S. independent schools, has awarded Saint Edward’s School a challenge grant of $50,000. Saint Edward’s is among the 20-25 independent schools nationwide chosen this year to receive a grant from the Foundation.
In addition, Saint Edward’s has received the proceeds from two life insurance policies gifted to the School by John and Barbara Morrison of Vero Beach, and inspired by that, the Morrison’s daughter, Dr. Lynn Williams and her daughter, Angela Waldrop ’98, have made an additional donation to the School of $101,000.
The planned gift from the Morrison Family and the matching funds from the E.E. Ford Foundation will be used to establish a $500,000 endowed fund for faculty professional development – directed toward faculty summer stipends – to support the training of the faculty to attend conferences, work on advanced degrees and pursue specialized training in their fields.
The income from the endowed fund, which will be named The Morrison Waldrop Faculty Summer Stipend Endowed Fund, will provide approximately $20,000 to $25,000 annually to fund a wide array of opportunities for faculty to enhance their teaching skills and pursue continuing education in their fields of study.
“The teaching faculty are the vital pieces in making a difference in our schools, and at Saint Edward’s School, the adults who teach, mentor, advise, direct, and coach, are central to the excellence which we represent as an outstanding independent school,” said Head of School
Mike Mersky. “Studies show that students with great teachers have more success in life. Our highest priority is to maintain a faculty that represents the very best teaching resource for our children. Independent schools with national reputations like Saint Edward’s draw faculty
candidates from a highly competitive national pool. The grant from the Edward E. Ford Foundation will be one cornerstone of our efforts to maintain our highly-skilled, intellectually robust and stable faculty.”
The E.E. Ford Foundation’s grant provides a built-in stimulus in the form of a challenge. “By December 2012,” Director of Advancement Anne Storch stated “Saint Edward’s will raise an additional $50,000 through targeted major gifts not tied to the Annual Fund.” The School plans to apply these additional funds to the $500,000 Morrison Waldrop Faculty Summer Stipend Endowed Fund.
According to the Foundation’s website, “Edward E. Ford, the founder and sole donor of The Edward E. Ford Foundation, was the son of A. Ward Ford, who founded and developed a manufacturing business in Binghamton, New York, which ultimately became a part of International Business Machine Corporation.
Mr. Ford was educated at the Mercersburg Academy and Princeton University. Over the course of his life, he served IBM in various capacities and was also engaged in a number of independent business enterprises in St. Louis and Florida. For many years and until the time of his death, he was a member of the Board of Directors of IBM.
Mr. Ford established The Edward E. Ford Foundation with a relatively small gift in 1957, but the Foundation really commenced operation some three years later when he transferred a much more substantial amount of property to it, rounded out its Board by the appointment of several additional members, and began to work actively with the Board to develop a program directed towards his major objective of improving the quality of secondary schooling focusing exclusively on independent education.”
Mr. John Morrison was a prominent member of the Vero Beach community and took an active interest in independent school education. He and his wife Barbara (Bobbie) were among the community leaders who helped establish Saint Edward’s School in 1965. He served on the School’s board as a trustee from its inception in 1964 until 1970, when he was granted the status of Honorary Trustee. The Morrisons continued their close relationship with the School as grandparents when their grandchildren, Angela Waldrop ’98, the late Andrea Morrison ’02 and Stephen Morrison ’04 attended Saint Edward’s School. In 2010 the next generation of Morrison’s enrolled at Saint Edward’s when Angela’s son, Beckley, began attending Saint Edward’s.
In making their gift of life insurance policies to the School, the Morrisons became charter members of the Benedict Legacy Society, which honors individuals who have provided a gift to the School through their estate planning. The Society is named for long-time headmaster and supporter, Peter B. Benedict, and his wife, Nancy.
