Sue Waldman Memorial Fund
Long-time AAUW member, Sue Waldman, died in August 2021 after living with Alzheimer’s for almost a decade. Sue attended Stanford and graduated with a BA in mathematics from the University of Oregon. She received her Master’s in mathematics from Oregon State University, where she met her husband, Wilmer (Wally). They moved to Pendleton in 1971 and were married for 56 years. Her career started as a math teacher and she later excelled as a computer scientist at the Columbia Plateau Conservation Research Center, USDA located in Pendleton. Her role supported scientists at the experiment station, and she co-created a computer wheat model. She was passionate about this work, and said of it, “There are all kinds of things to be discovered and endless challenging questions waiting for solutions.”
Pendleton AAUW Memorial Committee (Kate Mace, Mary Davis and Marlene Krout) worked closely with Sue’s family to set up a memorial fund in her honor, which would provide funding opportunities for both STEM projects and educational scholarships to local, state, or other colleges and universities for years to come.
It was determined that an overarching fund such as a (501)(c (3) was needed to be able to accomplish the variety of choices that Sue and her family were passionate about supporting. AAUW of Oregon already had created a fund for branches like Pendleton, which do not have the proper status that the Waldman family investments could transfer into, without losing monies to taxes. The AAUW of Oregon Special Projects Fund agreed to work with the Pendleton Branch, and the Sue Waldman Memorial Special Projects Fund was established under that umbrella. The annual required minimum distribution from the Waldman investments will be transferred to the Fund and will pay out for the Pendleton Branch STEM projects and scholarships.
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)
To STEM projects through Sunridge Middle School were funded in 2022. The first project provided supplies for each student’s experiments in the science classes, for both boys and girls. The second project, organized by Ken Jacobs, the woodshop teacher at Sunridge Middle School, taught physics concepts by having teams of students build trebuchets.
Educational Scholarships
After much research the Memorial Committee, with the approval of the Waldman family and the Pendleton Board, agreed to partner with the Blue Mountain Community Foundation (BMCF) for the annual educational scholarships. The BMCF is a 501(c)(3) with offices in Walla Walla, Washington but covers several counties in Washington as well as Umatilla County, Oregon. Only the BMCF met the criteria wanted, including: identifying women in sophomore, junior, or senior years in college; completing the advertising and application process; allowing interested family members or AAUW members to assist with the selection process; allowing the student to attend any college of their choice; and allowing “pass-through funds” (a certain amount is deposited in the foundation and the same amount deposited is awarded, with the exception of a minimal fee for their efforts).
An agreement was signed by the AAUW Pendleton Branch and BMCF, and $5,300.00 was transferred from the Sue Waldman Special Projects Fund to BMCF for establishing the Sue Waldman Memorial Scholarship Fund and award the two $2,500.00 scholarships.
The Pendleton AAUW Branch was honored to work with the Waldman family in establishing the STEM and scholarship funds in Sue’s memory. While initially it seemed like it would be a fairly simple process to give away money, meeting the 501(c)(3) requirements and ensuring the structure and legalities were in place to utilize the funds for many years to come, was necessary for all parties. We are excited to see these efforts come to fruition with the award of the first round of scholarships to deserving women. Go to the Members Only page to find out about the recipients.
AAUW Pendleton Branch Scholarship to Blue Mountain Community College (BMCC)
In 2005-2006, the AAUW of Pendleton branch announced a new project: awarding a $500 scholarship through Blue Mountain Community College (BMCC). The recipient of the scholarship was given a student membership in AAUW, invited to all local meetings, and asked to attend at least one Branch meeting, and for the 2012-2013 school year, the Pendleton Branch was able to increase its annual local scholarship to $1,000.
Scholarship applications are reviewed and sorted by the BMCC Foundation Scholarship committee. This committee is made up of faculty members and board members who volunteer their time over the summer to review all the scholarship applications. The AAUW Pendleton scholarship is open for a woman “of a certain age” who has completed at least one year of college, has an excellent GPA, and who is recommended by her instructors for her initiative and leadership skills. The recipient is chosen by the Foundation committee based on this criteria provided by the Pendleton Branch. For more information on recipients each year, check out the Members Only page.
AAUW Amy Bedford Scholarship for GED students at BMCC
In 2010, the Pendleton AAUW Branch honored one of its own members with the creation of the AAUW Amy Bedford Scholarship for GED students through Blue Mountain Community College.
Amy Bedford died in July 2006 in Pendleton at the age of 94. She was an owner of East Oregonian Publishing Company which owned and operated several newspapers in Oregon and Washington. She led the drive over three decades to create the River Parkway which runs along the banks of the Umatilla River through Pendleton. She was the prime mover in creation of the Arts Center of Pendleton – a restoration of the town’s Carnegie Library. She was a founding member of the Oregon East Symphony. She was hailed as a visionary by Pendleton civic leaders and received the Governor’s Arts Award in 1988.
Her mother, Elsie Aldrich, although not a college graduate and not eligible for membership, was the main reason that Pendleton has an AAUW chapter. The following is an acknowledgement in the first branch scrapbook:
For many years, Mrs. Edwin B. (Elsie) Aldrich had foreseen the value to Pendleton in having a group of women affiliated with state and national organizations whose prime objective was the furtherance of educational opportunities for women. Mrs. Aldrich discussed the matter with many local university women. Through her earnest and sincere enthusiasm for the organizing of an American Association of University Women, a group of eligible women were encouraged to complete organization of a local branch on October 5, 1930. To Mrs. Aldrich, the members of the Pendleton Branch of American Association of University Women express their deep appreciation and have authorized recording of such action in this History.
AAUW of Pendleton pledged half of the cost of taking the GED test for two worthy candidates each year, for a period of five years, starting in 2011. The plan will be modified as needed in 2016. Every school year $50 can be awarded each to two GED students to help cover the expense of taking the test. If the amount of the testing increases, AAUW Pendleton will increase the award amount. The award is based on the current system that the BMCC Foundation uses to award GED scholarships, namely a strong recommendation from the GED instructor(s) based on the hard work and “worthiness” of the student. First choice for the recipient would be a woman, but if no “worthy” female candidates have applied then a male student would be eligible for the scholarship.
The Branch agreed that during years when BMCC had other funding specifically directed towards GED testing (monies from Community Action Program of East Central Oregon (CAPECO)) then the Amy Bedford award would be available to cover the cost of either a student success class or a college readiness class for those women who have passed their GED.