When Linda Villegas arrives on campus this fall, she’ll become the first recipient of the Jimmy Marcus Class of 1972 Memorial Scholarship to attend classes at The College of Idaho.
The scholarship will be awarded annually to a graduating senior at nearby Caldwell High School who will attend the College. The scholarship, set up and funded initially by the graduating class of 1972 at Caldwell High, is named after one of its own, Jimmy Marcus, who died in a boating accident in 1975. The accident happened in Hawaii, where Marcus was studying at the University of Hawaii-Hilo as a part of a cooperative program with the College.
“He was a wonderful brother,“ said Marta Marcus Rostock ’90, his younger sister. “When I was little, we were about 10 years apart (in age). He’d take time whenever he came home and he’d take me sledding. (He was) wonderful and kind.“
The scholarship was coordinated through the Caldwell Foundation for Educational Opportunity (CFEO). It is one of the fastest CFEO scholarships to advance from fundraising to distribution, growing from initial concept to awarding funds to Villegas in one year.
“We’ve got a friend that works with the CFEO program and he came and talked to me about it,” said Rostock, who didn’t know about the scholarship until that visit. “Jimmy was so admired by so many people, that just to realize he was still in the thoughts and hearts of his classmates and friends was humbling. To start this scholarship as a memorial in his name, something to continue helping others, was just such a lovely and kind gesture.”
Marcus had completed three years of study at the College with a cumulative grade point average of 3.88. He spent one term studying at Oxford University in London and he also took a six-week academic trip with legendary College of Idaho history professor Franklin Specht to Greece and Italy in the winter of 1974. He was active in theatre and performing arts, as well as public speaking, after overcoming early speech difficulties as a child.
“He had accomplished so much,” Rostock said. “I think he’d be really humbled that this is something they (his classmates at CHS) did after all these years, that he could still be helping his community.”
Durand Marcus, Jimmy and Marta’s mother, worked at the College for over two decades in various capacities while Major General Edward W. Sawyer, their grandfather, was an educator at the College.
People wishing to contribute to the Jimmy Marcus Memorial Scholarship fund are encouraged to contact the Caldwell Foundation for Educational Opportunity.
The College of Idaho has a 132-year-old legacy of excellence. The College is known for its outstanding academic programs, winning athletics tradition, and history of producing successful graduates, including eight Rhodes Scholars, three governors, and countless business leaders and innovators. Its distinctive PEAK Curriculum challenges students to attain competency in the four knowledge peaks of humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and a professional field—empowering them to earn a major and three minors in four years. The College’s close-knit, residential campus is located in Caldwell, where its proximity both to Boise and to the world-class outdoor activities of southwest Idaho’s mountains and rivers offers unique opportunities for learning beyond the classroom. For more information, visit www.collegeofidaho.edu.