FORGING FUTURES
Better Than a Sweater
Scholarship Turns Out to Be Perfect Holiday Gift
BY TY DEMARTINO ’90
When John and Elizabeth Tuthill set out to find “the perfect gift” for their daughter for Christmas, they finally answered the age-old question: “How does one wrap a scholarship?”
The Tuthills surprised Dr. Rebekah Taylor, chair of the Frostburg Biology Department, with the unique present of an endowed scholarship in her name. To make matters more complicated, they presented the scholarship to Rebekah during a virtual Christmas celebration in 2020.
“I couldn’t comprehend what was going on. I kept asking ‘What is this?’” Rebekah recalled, with a laugh. “I’m still in shock, frankly. It was a huge surprise.”
John and Elizabeth got the idea to give the gift of scholarship, not only to honor the “great job” Rebekah does on the FSU campus, but also to pay it forward. It’s a personal philosophy of the couple who resides in LaVale, Md.
“We feel we have an obligation to leave the world better than we found it,” John said. “Young people are the future. ... Hopefully, the young person who gets [the scholarship] will try to do something good in the world.”
Just like his daughter, Rebekah, has.
The oldest of three children, Rebekah grew up in Cumberland and attended Lehigh University with a double major in biology and theatre. “I could never decide between science and the arts,” she said.
She attended grad school at Emory University in Atlanta and got her degree in immunology. After an internship in the immunology lab at the National Institutes of Health, Rebekah taught at Allegany College of Maryland before taking a tenure track position at FSU and later becoming chair of the Biology Department in 2020.
The Rebekah Taylor Scholarship benefits a biology major who has an interest in immunology. Applicants must write a brief statement on their desired career aspirations and their reasons for pursuing their goal.
The scholarship, in many ways, reflects how Rebekah views her role as an encourager of young people at FSU. Many of those in her classes are first-generation college students from lower-income homes who may not have been given many academic opportunities, she said, a population that traditionally lacks access to higher education.
“I feel like I can make an impact. I see my career here as a way to buck those trends.”
It started where it all began.
Rebekah’s faith in her students is reminiscent of John and Elizabeth’s faith in their daughter.
“The one thing that I’m 100 percent certain of is that they are proud of what I’ve done and am doing at Frostburg,” she said of her father and stepmother.
John and Elizabeth hope their unusual Christmas gift might be an inspiration to others who are in a financial position to help.
“A scholarship is a good way to bring a little bit of change in the world,” John said. “Maybe this will inspire other donors. People need to ask themselves, ‘How much wealth is enough?’”
And they should also ask themselves: “What’s the perfect Christmas gift?”
“It’s all very, very touching,” Rebekah said, with a quick afterthought. “And it’s better than a sweater.”
How to Give
CONTACT:
Lynn Ketterman
Director of Development
SEND PAYMENTS TO:
FSU Foundation Inc.
101 Braddock Road
Frostburg, MD 21532-2303