Scholarship endowment established in honor of former MSU Billings educator killed in car crash

MSU BILLINGS NEWS SERVICES — Friends and colleagues of a former Montana State University Billings educator who was killed in a traffic wreck  in February have established a scholarship endowment in her honor.

The Montana Center on Disabilities at MSU Billings has established the Merry Jane Trewhella Memorial Scholarship Endowment.  Organizers and friends are working on building the endowment fund and plan to award a $250 scholarship to an education major for Fall Semester 2010.  

Trewhella and her family have a connection with MSU Billings/Eastern Montana College that dates back to the 1970s, when she and her son, Jim, came to Billings for a clinic at the Montana Center on Disabilities. Jim was involved in the Montana Center for many years and enrolled in college, graduating from MSU Billings in 1997. Trewhella was involved with the Montana Center and was a lecturer in the MSU Billings College of Education before retiring in 2008. She also taught in School District 2 and was a longtime volunteer at and supporter of the Western Heritage Center.

She died in a traffic wreck on Billings’ West End on Feb. 22. She was 59.

The Montana Center on Disabilities will be responsible for selecting recipients for the scholarship from the pool of students who recently completed the MSU Billings general scholarship application.

To be eligible for the scholarship, students must meet the following criteria:

• Must be a Montana resident
• Must be an education major
• Must have a 3.0 GPA or above
• Must be enrolled as a full time student

Anyone interested in making a contribution to the scholarship endowment in memory of Merry Jane Trewhella can send their tax-deductible contribution to the MSU Billings Foundation, 1500 University Drive, Billings, MT 59101 and indicate their contribution is for the Merry Jane Trewhella Memorial Scholarship Endowment.

For more information on the scholarship fund, contact Susan Rhodes at 657-2244.