BEATRICE – Graduating seniors at Beatrice High School were awarded over $100,000 in scholarships from various individuals and families, through the Beatrice Educational Foundation.


The foundation held their annual Scholarship Reception and Hall of Fame Induction at the Beatrice High School Commons area, Sunday.


BEF President Andy Carothers says the financial position of the foundation has grown a lot in the past decade. "I think we were at about one-point-five, one-point-six million in invested assets. Today, we're at three-point-eight million. It's through the generosity of all our donors that have stepped forward and thought that education of our children in this community is a very important thing."


The Beatrice Educational Foundation honored Paul Whaley as its Friend of Education Award. The retired college professor and bank financial manager could not attend the ceremony, but Carothers said he was instrumental in transforming the foundation from an all-volunteer organization to one that now has an executive director and staff. That enabled the organization to further its mission…and provide support for students wanting to take dual-credit college courses.


"We wern't going out and seeking any scholarship donors as a volunteer board. We were just hoping that they would come to us. Paul had this vision of moving from a volunteer to a professional foundation where we would have an executive director...where we would have other people on staff...that grew this foundation to what it is, today. I'm happy to announce that we now have a donor that's stepped forward to fund those scholarships for kids that have a need, and cannot afford the tuition, for dual credit scholarships."


Carothers said Whaley had a vision for a foundation, setting the groundwork for an organization that reaches out to seek support. Whaley became a member of the foundation’s organization in 1983 and served through 2022.  He served as director of the organization’s finance committee and was someone Carothers said was a mentor for other foundation members.