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McCutchen Trust donates scholarship, operation funds
Andrew Cone
Record Staff Writer - Roswell Daily Record
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
On May 14, the Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell Foundation received one of its largest gifts ever - a check for $440,000 to establish, maintain, and administer an endowment fund which will provide ongoing scholarships to qualifying students.
The gift, awarded by the William H. McCutchen Trust, has been designated as the William H. McCutchen Scholarship Fund.
"We're very pleased that Mr. McCutchen thought of the foundation when he was planning how his estate would be distributed," said Donna Oracion, community development director of the university.
Oracion said that over the years, McCutchen had helped many individual students with tuition costs.
"I think he just wanted to do something that was more permanent," she said. "With the endowment, the interest will be used for scholarships which will last forever."
In order to qualify for the scholarships, students must be residents of New Mexico, enrolled at ENMU-R for at least six credit hours for the semester, maintain a GPA of 2.5 or better and have a need for financial assistance as determined by the financial aid department.
"He kept it very general so that it could impact a wide range of students," Oracion said.
She said that often-times scholarships are designated for a specific reason or need and it's hard to find students that match that need. "This is very good because it's very general and can apply to most of the students that we have."
In his trust, McCutchen allotted a similar amount to the Assurance Home Foundation.
"We've known Mr. McCutchen for a long time and he always did a lot for our home and our children," said Ron Malone, the Assurance Home's executive director.
Malone said the gift will ensure that the kids at the Assurance Home are taken care of and guarantee funding well into the future.
McCutchen passed away on Aug. 19, 2007, after living in Roswell nearly all his life. He graduated from Roswell High School and New Mexico Military Institute.
He served in the 8th Air Force in the European Theater as a B-17 pilot and returned to Roswell after discharge. He then worked at the Walker Air Force Post Exchange, and later for the Roswell Post Office, from which he retired in 1980.
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