334. Ernest & Madge Bearss Memorial Scholarship
- Award: Three $1,000 awards, renewable up to four years (totaling $4,000)
- Eligibility: Graduating senior from Grants Pass High School
- Selection Criteria: Participation in co-curricular activities and good citizenship. Must attend a 4-year Oregon state funded university such as: PSU, OSU, UO, SOU, OIT, EOU, WOU or affiliate OHSU.
- Use of Funds: May be used at any accredited four-year public college in Oregon. Scholarship checks are mailed directly to the recipients’ post-secondary education program. Scholarship funds may also be used to reimburse students for required books and school supplies with advanced approval.
- Renewal Details: Submit an annual renewal request to Redwood and include a copy of your unofficial academic transcript. Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined by their institution to remain eligible for scholarship renewal.
- About the Scholarship: Ernest Bearss graduated from Grants Pass High School in 1931 and was honored in the school’s Centennial Hall of Fame that recognized noteworthy alumni of the school’s first 100 years. He was honored due to his distinguished military career that spanned 30 years. Bearss fought in World War II with the rank of major and lieutenant colonel. He married Madge Mitchell in 1987 more than a year after this first wife, Vala, died. Madge was born and raised in Ashland. She spent most of her career as a second-grade teacher and retired in 1983 after 46 years of teaching. Ernest died in November, 2009 and Madge died in 2011. With no children, the Bearss left their estate to 10 separate charities, including the Foundation. The Foundation received the Bearss gift to set up a scholarship for GPHS graduates who plan to further their education by attending an Oregon public university.