Rotary Scholarships Honor Service, Trades, Community Roots

By JOSHUA YOUNGQUIST
COOPERSTOWN

The Rotary Club of Cooperstown’s annual scholarship luncheon is one of those gatherings where the room itself tells the story; families proud enough to beam, students nervous enough to blush and Rotarians who have spent decades building a tradition of service that stretches far beyond the awards handed out each July.

This year’s luncheon on July 7 offered not only recognition for local students but also a window into the values that have shaped the club’s scholarship program for generations.

Longtime Rotarians Margaret Savoie and Bill Waller spoke to AllOtsego at length about the history behind the awards, the criteria used to select recipients, and the impact these scholarships have on students and families.

As Waller, the club’s membership chair, put it, the program is designed not to change a student’s life outright, but to “support the choices that they’re making.”

The scholarships presented at the luncheon are awarded by the Cooperstown Rotary Foundation, a separate 501c3 charitable entity that manages scholarship funds, donor trusts, and long term endowments, according to Waller.

While the foundation oversees the financial administration and selection process, the awards are traditionally given out during a regular meeting of the Rotary Club of Cooperstown, the service organization whose members serve on the foundation board and committees.

In practice, the two bodies work closely together, Waller said. The foundation provides the funding and governance, and the Rotary Club provides the community setting in which the students and families are recognized.

Several of the local Rotary scholarships come from long‑standing trusts and memorials, each with its own purpose. The John D. Ramsey Memorial Vocational Scholarship, one of the most substantial awards, is aimed specifically at students pursuing vocational training.

“John rewarded people who wished to go into vocational training,” Waller said. “It didn’t necessarily have to be in further learning in an education program anywhere, to learn a trade.”

Ramsey, a local figure known for his generosity and his belief in hands-on work, created a trust that continues to fund scholarships for students entering fields such as welding, electrical contracting, nursing, aircraft mechanics and culinary arts.

One student this year noted that he “would not have been able to go to college without this award,” Waller said.

The Ramsey scholarship, he added, was $7,000.00, far more than the typical $250.00 or $500.00 awards many students receive elsewhere.

“Any amount that you can help to defray that helps you to fulfill your goals,” club Secretary Savoie said, reflecting on the rising cost of education.

Another award, the Michael L. Mayne Scholarship, is reserved for students entering military service. It honors a young man from Edmeston who was killed in Baghdad in 2009.

“Those two young men this year, one going in the Marines and one going in the Air Force… those funds were given to them for whatever their needs are with those careers that they’ve chosen,” Waller said.

The Catherine Davis Black Scholarship, named for Rotary’s first woman president and former district governor, supports students entering early education or music. Black, remembered as “very elegant” and deeply committed to service, once auctioned off her piano to seed the scholarship fund.

“She was our first woman president,” Savoie said. “She decided that this was something she wanted to do.”

Across all scholarships, the club prioritizes leadership, service and commitment to community.

“We look for people who have served in doing different things,” Waller said.

The application process includes essays, and the committee, made up of former teachers, superintendents, and scholarship foundation directors, reviews them carefully.

“We do check to see if it looks like it’s AI,” Waller added with a laugh. “One of my members of the committee is very good at doing it.”

The Rotary’s role, Savoie said, extends beyond financial support. The luncheon itself is a moment of connection.

“All those people who came today were so full of pride,” she said. “One mother was moved to tears… it was beautiful.”

The event also gives families a chance to see Rotary’s work firsthand.
“It broadens our scope within a community where people see that Rotary isn’t just old people sitting around smoking cigars,” Waller said. “They had a lovely time today.”

Rotary’s commitment to neutrality—no politics, no religious doctrine—is part of what makes the space welcoming.

“You may not under any circumstance discuss anything political,” Waller said. “It’s a space for everyone and you have to keep it on that neutral ground.”

The Cooperstown club’s broader work reinforces that mission. Rotarians support the Cooperstown Food Pantry, the Angel Network, children’s programs, Bassett’s Food Is Medicine initiative, and numerous community organizations.

“Rotarians are people of action,” Waller said. “We’re creating change within our community, within ourselves.”

The scholarship program has grown over the years, shaped by changing needs and the legacy of donors like Ramsey and Black. In some cases, the club has even petitioned the New York State Supreme Court to adjust trust terms so more students can qualify.

“We opened it up to all of Otsego County BOCES,” Waller said, noting that the original trust was too narrow for modern vocational pathways.

Still, the heart of the program remains the same: helping young people pursue meaningful careers, often rooted in the trades, and encouraging them to bring those skills back home.

“John always dreamed that these people would be trained and come back here and start businesses and help the county out,” Waller said.

One past scholarship recipient now runs a welding shop in Schoharie County that employs many local residents.

The luncheon, the scholarships, and the stories behind them all point to a simple truth: Rotary’s work is not just about financial support, it’s about continuity, community, and the belief that service can shape a life.

As Savoie put it, “We’re hoping that when we do that, these students will learn through what they’ve received to give back later in their lives so there’s a continuum of service.”