Stacy Humphreys

Stacy Humphreys has always loved history. At age four, her parents took her to visit her first battlefield in New Market, Virginia. From that moment on, there was no question what she wanted to do.

A native of Morgantown, she grew up surrounded by gold and blue and dreamed of attending WVU. In 1996, the LPEF brought Humphreys a step closer to fulfilling her dream by presenting her with the John D. Hoblitzell Scholarship. That same year, she enrolled as a freshman history major at WVU.

"Some students enter college and change majors three or four times," says Humphreys. "I never changed my mind. I have always been a history buff and knew I wanted to pursue a career in that field."

She received her bachelor's degree in history in 2000 and a master's degree in history, with emphases on parks and recreation, public history, and 19th century American history, in 2002.

"Without the financial support from the Loyalty Permanent Endowment Fund, I would not have been able to attend WVU," says Humphreys. "The scholarship allowed me to realize my dream, and I will always be grateful for such an incredible opportunity."

Today, Humphreys—who one day wants to become the first female superintendent of Gettysburg National Military Park—is teaching others about events that shaped our country and the world. As a park ranger/historian for the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park in Fredericksburg, Virginia, she is sharing her love of history with park visitors.

Each day, she greets park visitors and helps them plan activities, leads tours, serves as an education coordinator, and prepares grants for funding for the park. While you may see Humphreys donning her park ranger hat, her job duties often require her to change hats.

"In my field, there is no such thing as standard day," adds Humphreys. "Every day is different and exciting. One day, I'm meeting with visitors, the next day I'm busy working on an interpretative program for an event. It's always fun to come to work."

In addition to her regular duties, she also serves as a historic weapons inspector, trains volunteers, and plans special events for the park. But, it's the teaching hat that she enjoys wearing most.

"I love working with children because they are future rangers," says Humphreys. "I enjoy making history come to life for them and seeing their eyes light up. It is those moments that remind me of the wonderful mentors I had as a student at WVU. I can only hope that I have that kind of effect on future generations of young historians."

Dr. David Santrock

Mountaineer pride was instilled in Dunbar native Dave Santrock at an early age. He and his family have always been loyal to the gold and blue. So, when it came time to start looking at colleges, he knew where he wanted to be.

In 1959, he headed to Morgantown on a football scholarship with plans to become an engineer. But, he would soon discover that his heart was somewhere else.

"I decided to switch to pre-med my sophomore year," says Santrock. "At that time, I had no real plans to go to medical school, but I fell in love with it and decided that's where my future was."

On the football field, Santrock, a defensive lineman for the Mountaineers, racked up 47 tackles during his junior year—the team's fifth leading tackler. He also continued to excel off the field. He received the Best Student on the Squad Award and was selected to the Southern Conference football All- Academic team in acknowledgement of his academic excellence. In addition, he also was a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, the medical honor society.

"Coach Gene Corum did an outstanding job of making great people out of players," adds Santrock. "He was instrumental in helping us on and off the field."

After graduating with his undergraduate degree, he started preparing for the next leg of his journey—medical school.

"I was fortunate that I had an athletic scholarship to cover my undergraduate expenses," says Santrock. "But medical school was expensive, and I knew my family had limited resources."

Enter the trustees of the WVU Alumni Association's Loyalty Permanent Endowment Fund. His outstanding academic record and leadership abilities made him an ideal candidate for a scholarship. With scholarship in hand, he headed off to the WVU Medical School where he graduated in 1967.

Today, Santrock is a dedicated and accomplished orthopedic surgeon in Charleston, where he has been practicing for 30 years. While much of his time is spent performing surgery and meeting patients (sometimes 35 to 45 on any given day), he also lends his experience and expertise to the WVU Medical School and the University of Charleston sports programs, providing learning opportunities for medical students studying orthopedics.

Santrock looks back on his days at WVU with fondness.

"WVU is an excellent institution of higher learning," he says. "Graduating from the medical school and becoming a member of the medical community was such a milestone in my life. To see the culmination of all of your efforts come together . . . it's overwhelming."

He credits the LPEF with making his dream a reality.

"Receiving the scholarship from the Loyalty Permanent Endowment Fund was pivotal in helping me to become a doctor," says Santrock. "They provided me with an opportunity to further my education. With their support, I was able to focus my attention on medical school, and for that, I owe them a debt of gratitude."

Adam Simmons

After graduating at the top of his class at Wood County Christian School, Adam Simmons is ready to start working toward his goal of becoming a civil engineer. And, he'll be able to do so as the recipient of the WVU Alumni Association's Distinguished Scholar Scholarship.

According to Simmons, choosing a school was a struggle at first, but after visiting WVU, he liked what he saw.

"I was very impressed with WVU," he explains. "The University's academic credentials are unmatched. I know I am going to gain valuable knowledge and skills that will help me in my future career. I'm looking forward to working with the professors and other students here at WVU."

The scholarship will pay for his tuition, room and board, and books while a student at WVU. This is something that he says is extremely valuable as he prepares for higher education.

"I'm very fortunate to have been chosen for this prestigious scholarship," says Simmons. "Because of this generous gift, I will be able to focus my attention on pursuing an outstanding education and possibly furthering my knowledge and experiences as a graduate student."

In addition to academics, Simmons is active in various church activities and was a member of the quiz team and is an accomplished writer.

Erin Marcum

Her twin sister may be heading to another college this fall, but for Erin Marcum, there is only one choice—WVU.

As this year's recipient of the LPEF's Harry L. Lantz Distinguished Scholar Scholarship, she plans to study pharmacy. The scholarship entitles her to tuition, room and board, and books for her undergraduate studies at WVU.

"I was raised a Mountaineer and knew WVU is where I wanted to be," says Marcum, a native of Nitro. "The University has so much to offer its students, including an excellent pharmacy program. I'm looking forward to many fun and challenging experiences ahead."

As a student at Poca High School, she maintained a 4.0 grade point average while taking advanced college preparatory classes. In addition to her impeccable academic record, she was a member of the Key Club, Spanish Club, and student council, where she served as vice president. She was also a member of the Poca Dots cheerleading squad.

One of five children, Marcum says having this educational opportunity is a dream come true.

"My parents will have three children in college this year," says Marcum. "I can not tell you how much this means to me and my family. I am so thankful that the trustees of the Loyalty Permanent Endowment Fund selected me for this scholarship so that I can pursue my education at WVU and my dream of being a Mountaineer. I hope that one day I'll be able to give back to the fund so that other deserving students will have an opportunity to get a great education at WVU."

 Fall 2004 Contents

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