MOVILLE, Iowa -- A substantial scholarship that will benefit students in the Woodbury Central School District has been created, through a $1 million estate gift by natives of Moville.
The Siouxland Community Foundation announced receipt of a $1,043,311 estate gift to establish the Ruth and Tom Schuldt Scholarship. Graduating seniors from Woodbury Central High School, beginning with the class of 2021, will benefit from the gift left by siblings Ruth and Tom Schuldt.
The Ruth and Tom Schuldt Scholarship will be administered by the Siouxland Community Foundation located in Sioux City. Multiple scholarships, ranging from $10,000 to $20,000, will be awarded annually from the earnings of the fund while never touching the original principal gift.
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The scholarship was announced in a Monday evening press conference at the Moville school.
“We are grateful for Ruth and Tom Schuldt’s forethought and generosity to make such a tremendous and secure gift for Woodbury Central students," Katie Roberts, Executive Director of the Siouxland Community Foundation, said in a release.
In a Tuesday statement to the Journal, Woodbury Central Superintendent Doug Glackin said, "Ruth's and Tom's generosity will be remembered for a very long time. These scholarships are greatly appreciated and will be well utilized."
Ruth Schuldt and Thomas Schuldt were raised in the Moville area by parents Henry and Laura Schuldt. The two siblings attended Moville Independent School, before the Woodbury Central consolidation.
Ruth was a valedictorian graduate in 1943. Tom left school in fall 1961, his senior year, to enlist in the U.S. Navy and served in the Coast Guard.
Ruth worked in the life insurance industry, specializing in administration and life insurance investments. After years of military service, Tom returned to the Moville area, where he and Ruth ultimately owned and managed their parents' farmland, and they lived in Sioux City.
Roberts said it was their wish to donate their life savings and proceeds from the sale of their property to Woodbury Central, and to area cancer, heart health and Alzheimer's related charities.
Students can see the scholarship’s full criteria and application on the Foundation’s website, www.siouxlandcommunityfoundation.org.
The Siouxland Community Foundation was established in 1988. Roberts said the legacy created by an endowed fund, such as the Ruth and Tom Schuldt Scholarship, lives on for generations as it is awarded every year.
