I’ve been thinking about higher education. (When I haven’t been worrying about drought, fire and politics.) I can’t imagine what tuition might be when my little grand guy is of the age to consider it. And then, as importantly, current cuts at the federal level, devastating academic research and its spillover impact to students, faculty and knowledge. I probably would’ve left all that alone were it not for recent news about the merging of two Oregon private institutions, Willamette and Pacific Universities. I wrote about this in a prior blog (see Merging Oregon’s Oldest Universities), but a different aspect arose in my brain this week.

Perhaps it’s not surprising how many of the topics I blog about were first mentioned in one of my books. I guess, when I die, if anyone wants to learn about me, they can just read all my books and blogs. And, if my kids choose to unearth journals left behind–they might find details to fill in any blanks. Anyway, back when those now adult daughters were young, Russ and I became even more aware of the unaffordability of college. We started going down the rabbit trail of our family story about perpetual scholarships at Willamette University.

“…Willamette University was one of the first coed universities in the United States, and its first graduate, Emily York, a woman. In its earliest years, Willamette University designed the selling of “perpetual scholarships”—$500 cash or cash plus livestock or other resources to assist financing this school. Both Chloe and William purchased perpetual scholarships, imagining that their heirs for generations would have tuition prepaid, never conceiving of a time that this scholarship plan would not keep up with the cost of higher education. The scholarship program was long abandoned before me, my siblings, or our cousins might have benefited…”
My Music Man, Chapter 15: Chemeketa

I remember the trip Mom and I made to Salem’s Willamette University campus back in 2004. I’m sorry I didn’t give her enough credit, at least not that I remember, back then for her tenacious researching of Dad’s family history. And, yes, she had help among three of Dad’s female relatives. I was a bit late to the game in fully understanding the significance of my family’s Oregon history, even though I’d always known about it. Recently I was chatting with a friend, also in their 60s, about how often we have to grow, or perhaps age, into appreciation of old family stories. Regardless, Mom and I took the day to meet with the then Director of Alumni Services, visit the library (yes, the fire that happened took out any helpful records), and finally sleuthing through the records at the Oregon State Archives to find information that best answered what nobody else could at the time. The 1934 news article we found (see image below) begins, “Legal documents, signed, sealed and attested, that provide free tuition to the bearer, his heirs and assignees forever are dangerous things for a university…”I hope we also went to lunch and celebrated the day, but I have no memory of any such meal.

Of course, none of this information came up when I was looking for college some decades earlier. My parents made it quite clear to only consider in-state institutions, and that they might be able to help. I do have one brother who made it work to get to a private school, going on to have an impressive career, and two of us ended up at out-of-state public universities. My grandmother gave me a certain lump sum to use for college (my brain makes me think it was $500) as my parents couldn’t offer much financial help that year. I kid you not, the fall I entered the University of Montana, tuition was $200 per term and a few hundred dollars higher for out-of-state. (I was from Oregon but was granted in-state tuition mid-year for the rest of my time there for academic reasons. One year I remember paying $57 dollars a month rent.) Between my grandmother’s gift, the scholarships I earned and working, I was able to make it through undergrad, graduating in 1983. Two years later, thanks to the CDC’s National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), I was funded a research assistantship during my graduate education in public health/environment health sciences at the University of Washington. I earned my keep by performing gravimetric analysis (a term sounding far fancier than the weighing of filters I performed, before being analyzed for arsenic and other metals) in support of the CDC/EPA/ATSDR ASARCO Smelter Ruston Washington Pathways Project. Yes that’s another story…though it does help any reader who doesn’t know me understand why I join those so upset about significant cuts in research and public health. But…back to those perpetual scholarships.

To be completely honest, other than my personal interest in Willamette University’s perpetual scholarships, I didn’t before think a lot about the practice. Since then I’ve learned how it was not uncommon in newly established or struggling high educational institutions in the mid-nineteenth century to sell such scholarships. As I seek more information today about those from Willamette, I found within a University of Oregon special collection, listed a single, one page certificate promising Calvin S. Knipley a five hundred dollar scholarship to Willamette University, signed by the president of the university, David Leslie. All our family could uncover was the receipt from Joseph S. Smith to place the certificate in safe keeping.

One of the reasons for Chloe and William’s move from The Falls (Oregon City) to Chemeketa, or the Plains, was that Chloe was asked to be the first teacher at the Oregon Institute founded by Jason Lee and a board of directors in 1842. When it opened in 1844, she was both teacher and housemother for five primary grade students, but growing to twenty students two years later. In 1846 William was chosen to serve as business agent and manage the Institute’s land holdings. Chloe taught at this institution, later named Willamette University, until 1847. After William’s death in 1856 and her trip with her young daughters back east to visit family, she returned to Willamette University in 1863 where she served as the “Governess of the Ladies Department” for the next three years, and until moving to Portland in 1871 with her daughter and son-in-law, Joseph (or J.K.) Gill. (See Archives West William H. and Chloe Clark Willson Papers and My Music Man.)

Given Chloe and William’s commitment to the University, and their daughter Frances being an early graduate, perhaps it’s no surprise that they did attempt to secure perpetual scholarships while they too supported the institution financially. It’s still difficult for me to imagine the commitment our ancestors made to dedicate a total of $1,000 to the cause. And how little concept they had of how expensive college education would become. I suspect it’s not that different from those of us who were fortunate to pay tuition of a couple hundred dollars. Even in our lifetime, our stories are beyond belief for our children or grandchildren.

Although I don’t know the specifics on the initial establishment of the perpetual scholarships at Willamette, those reported from other universities offer similar rationale and stories. From the 1830s through the 1870s, colleges (some say, “struggling colleges”) issued these formal paper certificates known as “Certificates of Perpetual Scholarship.” A donor would pay a flat upfront sum, typically between $100-$500. And, as I learned with my own story, the promise was that the certificate earned the right to send one (family member) student at a time to the college tuition-free. Forever. Some reports of college presidents, agents and itinerant ministers (um, William was referred to as an itinerant minister on at least one occasion) peddled these by horseback to those with money.

Most interesting to me now is to learn that there are a few colleges that still honor their original perpetual scholarships or bonds. One that I read about online is Northwestern, which guarantees free tuition to descendents of some of the original financiers of the college. Of course, I’m certain they would require someone to have documentation of the certificate which requires holding on to records for quite a long time!

And with that, I return to today’s garden, financial realities and the fires engulfing our west. I send love and hope to our firefighters and those suffering losses this weekend. And prayers that temperatures cool, rain comes, and somebody with any brain and understanding of science steps up to do what needs to be done.