Hilda and Harold McCleave Endowed Scholarship
The David Harold McCleave Scholarship was established in 1976 by family and friends in memory of the late Dr. Harold McCleave, historian and academic vice president of Eastern Montana College (now MSU Billings), to recognize his outstanding service to higher education at EMC. In 1995, the name of the scholarship was changed to include Dr. McCleave’s wife, Hilda. Education was extremely important to Hilda. She taught English at Billings West High School from 1962 to 1976. As an English teacher, she instilled the knowledge and love of the language in her students. When Mrs. McCleave passed away December 18, 2000, the endowment was appropriately renamed the Hilda and Harold McCleave Scholarship Endowment. This scholarship is a very meritorious award granted each year to a student of superior academic achievement majoring in history. The first scholarship was awarded in academic year 1978-1979.
Impact
“Thank you very much for the Hilda & Harold McCleave Endowed Scholarship. It will no doubt be of great assistance in helping me complete my schooling this coming year. I have worked very hard and struggled to stay debt free my entire college career. With your donation, a heavy burden has been lifted off of me and I can now breath a bit easier and really focus on my education. When I graduate, I hope to move on to a career in either a museum or library, as I am a firm believer in the preservation of the past as well as offering the community the learning materials they need to be well-informed, productive, and mindful citizens.” — Christian C., History major