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Bellefontaine City Schools Board of Education members highlighted at their Monday evening the generosity and philanthropy of a Bellefontaine High School graduate whose Last Will and Testament has created a new full-ride scholarship for future pupils.
Superintendent Brad Hall announced that the district recently received word about the newly created Lewis J. and Anne Ringler Memorial Scholarship that will be administered by the Logan County Educational Service Center. A check for $1,169,041 reportedly has been presented to the ESC for the scholarship.
Beginning next year with the Bellefontaine High School Class of 2017, the scholarship will cover all expenses related to tuition, on-campus housing, meal plans and textbooks for a BHS graduate who is interested in pursuing a four-year degree in business or science-related fields at a state-supported university in Ohio.
Mr. Ringler, who passed away in 2008, was a 1938 Bellefontaine High School graduate. His wife originally was from Elyria and she passed away in 2015. The charity-minded couple did not have any children, and they also have left donations to The Cleveland Animal Protective League, The Cleveland City Mission, The Cleveland Food Bank and The Salvation Army.
The superintendent noted that the couple specifically wanted the BHS student scholarship to last for four years to ensure that the recipient be successful in their academic endeavors.
“This was important to Mr. Ringler, because he recalled having to work full-time as a general laborer at the Walko Feed Mill in Bellefontaine after graduation from high school to finance his education,” Mr. Hall said.
A 1943 Ohio State University graduate with a degree in industrial management, Mr. Ringler also entered the U.S. Army in 1943 and served under the command of General George S. Patton Jr. The Purple Heart recipient was discharged in 1945 as a first lieutenant.
The Bellefontaine native later pursued a law degree and graduated in 1957 from the Cleveland Marshall Law School. Mr. and Mrs. Ringler resided in Greenwich, Conn., while he served as the director of employee relations for Union Pacific, and then the couple moved back to the Cleveland area after he accepted a position with the law firm Reminger & Reminger Co. LPA.
With this new opportunity, Mr. Hall said BHS pupils now have access to two full-ride scholarships. The Bruce E. Higham College Scholarship currently provides all tuition, room, board, and books for up to four consecutive years for BHS graduates working toward a bachelor’s degree at any state of Ohio public-supported college or university.