He lived the dream and now it's time to help the dream continue on....
The Robert F Mace Scholarship Fund
To contribute to the fund please forward your donation to:
C/0 Berks County Community Foundation
23 South Reading Avenue
Boyertown, PA 19512
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| READING -- A Berks County family who lost their son in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, is creating a scholarship fund in his name that will benefit Boyertown Area High School students. |
| Robert
F. Mace was working as an assistant general counsel for Cantor
Fitzgerald at the World Trade Center at the time of his death. Mace graduated from Boyertown Area High School in 1976.He received a scholarship to study journalism and pre-law at the University of Maryland, where he graduated as a member of the honor society Phi Beta Kappa. From there, he went on to earn a law degree from George Washington University. He was a pitcher for the Boyertown American Legion baseball team. "The reason the family wanted to set this up was because they wanted to afford others the same opportunity Rob had," said Trish Hartline, philanthropic services officer with the Berks County Community Foundation. His family, recognizing the value of education and creating a scholarship fund in Mace’s name, donated $20,000 from his estate to establish the scholarship fund. "It was his brother who got in touch with us and wanted to set this up in Rob’s memory," said Hartline. The Robert F. Mace Scholarship Fund benefits Boyertown Area High School students who are in the top 15 percent of their graduating class and will attend a two or four-year college or university. To earn the scholarship, students must show strong commitment to academics and unwavering dedication to extracurricular school or community activities. The student must have a desire for personal growth, the ability to overcome challenges and be inspirational to others. Preferences will be given to students with financial need who intend to major in journalism or pre-law. The scholarship is a growing scholarship. Anyone who wants to remember Mace can make a contribution to the scholarship, Hartline explained. "The more the endowment grows, the more of a scholarship that can be given," said Hartline. The fund will award a scholarship once a year, beginning in spring 2003. Applications are available at the Boyertown Area High School Guidance office. Deadline for applications is April 12, 2003. The Berks County Community Foundation was established in 1994. It is a nonprofit corporation that develops, manages and distributes funds to meet existing and emerging community needs. They administer funds of all sizes and for all purposes, from helping disabled children to building innovative renewable energy sources.
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| On May 28th, 2003 , the 1st Recipient of the Scholarship Fund was announced. William Eppler, a pre law major entering Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA was chosen. Rob would have been pleased with Bill's selection as he embodies the academic and extracurricular achievements Rob strove for as well. |
From a June 6th, 2003 email
Dr Mr. Mace,
My name is William F Eppler III. I am honored to be the first recipient of the Robert F Mace Scholarship. Once I learned the history behind the scholarship, it had even more meaning to me. I grew up in Philadelphia, went to a Catholic grade school for eight years, and in ninth grade I went to Archbishop Ryan High School. The summer my mother and step father were married, the three of us and my younger brother moved to Boyertown. This was the summer before tenth grade. Tenth grade was my first school year in Boyertown. In Archbishop Ryan I was a member of the Debate Club, in tenth grade, when I got to Boyertown there was no Debate Club so I started one. I was very involved with that during tenth and eleventh grade and in twelfth grade the interest from the other students just wasn't there. I also started playing lacrosse in tenth grade which I stuck with all three years. I was a senior starting goalie this year and we went to the semifinals of the playoffs. During my senior year I also became a member of the National Honor Society and attended a National Youth Leadership Forum on Law. Another of my favorite hobbies is golf. I never played on a school team, but I began playing around seventh or eight grade and I play a little less than once a month now.
In the fall I'll be attending Ursinus College as either a Political Science or an English major. I know I want to go to law school, but I just haven't decided which major I'd prefer.
I'm sorry I couldn't make the banquet but if you're ever back in the area again and would like the opprtunity to meet and maybe play a round of golf. Thank you so much, I am very grateful for this scholarship.
Sincerely,
Bill Eppler
Recipients
2003 - William Eppler
2004 - Jeff Cavett
2005 - Jessica Rupell
2006 - Adam Tim
2007 - Stephanie Lynne Dean
2008 - Kayla Caldwell
2009 - Christopher Kelly
2010 - Emily Cassel