Terrence Mark, a former English teacher at Franklinville Central School, and his wife, Judith Mark, recently established a new scholarship fund at CRCF to support students of the Franklinville Central School district.
Mark taught English at Ten Broeck Academy/Franklinville Central High School for 33 years before retiring in 2000.
A native of Elmira, Mark moved to Olean to get his master’s in English literature at St. Bonaventure University after receiving his bachelor’s degree at Niagara University.
Mark’s fond memories of his days teaching at Franklinville and his love for the English language were the driving force behind establishing this scholarship.
“I very much enjoyed teaching in Franklinville. I enjoyed the small community atmosphere. Two of the reasons I stayed there were my colleagues – I had a lot of respect for them and was always impressed with their dedication – and second, I’ve always wanted people to communicate with some sort of proficiency,” said Mark. “I simply tried to pass on [to my students] what I knew about good grammar, syntax and spelling.”
For Mark, Franklinville became a home during his 33 years of teaching.
“I went to a private high school in Watkins Glen that has since dissolved,” said Mark. “So I have kind of adopted Franklinville as my alma mater, and I always root hard for Franklinville.”
The Terrence and Judith Mark Scholarship Fund will support scholarships for graduating seniors Mark’s adopted alma mater that demonstrate an aptitude and care for English and writing.
This scholarship will be for a student who will be attending a 2- or 4-year college. Students must have an overall GPA of 80% or higher and an overall GPA of 85% or higher in English.
Students must be in good academic standing and have participated in a minimum of 2 extracurricular activities. Students must also provide two references letters with one specifically from an English teacher and one from a social studies teacher.
It was important to Mark that the scholarship support students who are not only academically driven but actively involved in extracurriculars as Mark too found community in school extracurricular activities.
One of his pet projects and proudest accomplishments is organizing teams of Franklinville students to compete on the TV show and quiz game “It’s Academic.”
Later, Mark would help organize the scholastic challenge for students of Allegany and Cattaraugus counties and coach Franklinville participating teams that won a number of trophies in that competition.
He also served as a student council advisor, a 7th and 8th grade class advisor and coached cross country for a time.
The true motivating factor behind the scholarship though, said Mark, is his wife, Judith, a native of the Olean area.
“She is the real brains of the family,” he said of his “better half.” “She is the one with all of the common sense, and she holds me together.”
At the heart of the scholarship, is the simple intention, shared by Terrence and Judith, that students deserve the right to a good education.
“We think everyone should have the opportunity to have a decent education,” he said. “Certainly in this day and age we need educated people who can make wise choices in what’s going to happen in this country and care about future generations.”
Donations can be made to the Terrence and Judith Mark Scholarship Fund at CRCF, 301 North Union St., Suite 203 or online at cattfoundation.org.
The Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation is the area’s supportive, responsive and trusted community foundation. Established in 1994, CRCF is growing good by connecting donors to the causes they care about most in the region. Grants from the foundation support many areas, including education, scholarships, health care, the arts, community development, human service, and youth development. To learn more, call (716) 301-CRCF (2723), email [email protected], or visit online at www.cattfoundation.org. CRCF is also on Facebook (facebook.com/cattfoundation) and Twitter (@CattFoundation).
