The Community Foundation of Mount Vernon & Knox County is pleased to announce that a total of $28,000 from the Wilbur Gaunder Engineering Scholarship Fund has been distributed to several Knox County residents.  Scholarships include both new and renewing scholarships.  The announcement was made by Bruce Hawkins, chairman of the Community Foundation.

Scholarships were renewed this year for Scott Martin a graduate of East Knox High School attending Carnegie-Mellon University, and for Mason Smith a graduate of Mount Vernon High School attending West Virginia University.

First time scholarships went to, Zachary Liston, a graduate of Centerburg High School attending Miami University, and Timothy Ursich, a home school graduate attending The Ohio State University.

The fund from which these scholarships are awarded created by the last will and testament of Wilbur F. Gaunder.  Gaunder was a 1925 graduate of Newark High and a 1929 graduate of The Ohio State University in 1929. He was employed by Pittsburgh Plate Glass in 1929, was plant manager at the Mount Vernon facility for several years, and advanced to the corporate office where he remained until his retirement.

He resided in Mount Vernon with his wife, Tomiris, and son Allen, both now deceased.  Gaunder died January 21, 1999 at the age of 92.

Applications for this scholarship will be available again in January 2013, and may be obtained by writing the Community Foundation of Mount Vernon & Knox County at P.O. Box 1270, One South Main Street, Mount Vernon, OH 43050; by calling (740) 392-3270, or by accessing the Foundation’s website at www.knoxcf.org. Recipients must be Knox County residents, and in their sophomore year or later of an accredited four-year or five-year engineering program.

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