The MHS Permanent Scholarship Fund 1961 to Present

In 1958 the president of the Melrose Citizens Education Council, Richard R. Pierce requested that a fund be established to help graduates of Melrose High School continue their education, and $200 was made available to launch the project. Over the next few years, Richard Pierce, Ken Norris, and MHS principal Howard Wilder worked together to get such a fund up and running.

The founders spoke with Winchester High School officials who had started a similar program. They also worked with the IRS, and between 1961-1963 all the paperwork was completed and sent to the IRS to get their 501(c)(3) non-profit exemption. During those same years the Fund’s trustees and members worked to make the initial $200 grow like an acorn into a large oak tree. This growth has come from mail-a-thons, phone-a-thons, “toll booths” and donations made in memory of friends and family. Contributions have also come in from Melrose organizations and businesses, some of which continue to sponsor annual scholarships to this day.

That $200 in 1961 has grown into a multi-million dollar portfolio that funds scholarships awarded to hundreds of graduating seniors from Melrose High School each spring.