Chet and Milly Blaylock Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Chester “Chet” M. Blaylock was born in Joliet, Montana November 13, 1924. He graduated from Eastern Montana College (now MSU Billings) through the GI Bill in 1948. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, taught high school in several Montana towns, and ran for a number of local and state political positions. Chet was a candidate for the Governor of Montana in 1996 when he died on the way to his last debate with his Republican opponent. To honor Chet’s service to the State of Montana both as a Constitutional Convention delegate and his 20 years of service in the Montana State Senate, his wife Mildred “Milly” established the Chet Blaylock Memorial Scholarship Endowment in 1997.

Milly was born Mildred Poznanovic in Eveleth, Minnesota, on February 21, 1923. Always a standout student, Milly attended Eveleth public schools and Eveleth Junior College before graduating from the University of Minnesota with a BA in English. Milly accepted her first teaching position in Laurel, Montana, as an English and Drama teacher at Laurel Senior High. She met Chet, then a student at Eastern Montana College (EMC), and they married in 1948. After raising her family of five children, Milly attended EMC to obtain a fifth-year diploma in teaching reading. She worked for three elementary schools in Laurel for 12 years as a Title 1 reading teacher before retiring. Milly passed away January 9, 2007.

In 2016, the scholarship endowment was re-named the Chet and Milly Blaylock Memorial Scholarship Endowment. Chet and Milly were passionate about the positive and enduring effects of a quality education and were both well-respected and beloved teachers in Laurel. Scholarships are awarded to graduates of a Montana high school who show promise in his or her own field. The first scholarship was awarded in academic year 1997-1998.