Mary Maxon Stratford Education Endowed Scholarship
The Mary Maxon Stratford Education Scholarship fund was established in March 2002 by Scott Stratford in honor of his mother, Mary. Mary grew up in Billings and attended Eastern Montana Normal School (now MSU Billings) where she earned her teaching certificate. Whatever her role — as a teacher, wife and mother, farm helper, telemarketer, or single senior citizen and grandmother — she always accepted its responsibilities gracefully and fulfilled them to the best of her considerable ability. On June 30, 2004, Mary passed away at age 85. To ensure that education majors would continue to benefit from scholarships in Mary’s name, the scholarship fund was endowed in November 2004. The first scholarship was awarded in academic year 2002-2003.
Impact
“I am honored to have been chosen for the Mary Maxon Stratford Education Endowed Scholarship. This money will definitely help me continue my education at MSU Billings. I am currently a freshman . The reason I choose MSUB was because it offered the best educational opportunities for what I wanted to become — a teacher. I chose elementary education because I have always enjoyed working with children and making a difference in people’s lives. Becoming a teacher will allow me to do both. Thank you again.” — Kala W., Elementary Education major