Math scholarship started by McFarland woman is rare in bad economy

Matthew DeFour:

In 1964, Sue Kosmo was a high school senior who loved pizza, Pepsi and precalculus, when her parents encouraged her to invest in the stock market.

With a $54 tax return from her part-time bakery job making 75 cents per hour, she bought one share in something familiar -- a cola company marketing itself to a younger generation.

Almost half a century and several stock splits later, Kosmo is cashing in her investment, now worth $10,000, to start a scholarship fund at McFarland High School for young women who excel in math.

The story got the attention of executives at Pepsi, which is donating another $10,000 to Kosmo's scholarship fund.

Local businesses and residents provide more than $1 million a year in scholarships to local college-bound students, though the recent economic downturn has dampened donations somewhat, according to local officials who coordinate local scholarships.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at June 2, 2011 1:53 AM
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