PORTSMOUTH — The Lucinda L. Kessler Fine and Performing Arts Scholarship Fund has been established as an endowment at the Scioto Foundation in Portsmouth by the choir of the Saints Peter and Paul Church in Wellston in memory of a long-time arts educator and talented musician.
To be eligible for the scholarship, a student must be a graduating senior from Wellston High School in Jackson County, Ohio. Applicants must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and plan to major in fine or performing arts.
A selection committee of members of the Saints Peter and Paul Church Choir of Wellston with assistance from Wellston High School will make annual scholarship selections. If the committee ceases to exist, Wellston High School will make the annual selections.
Born on January 28, 1950, Kessler was an arts educator for thirty-five years in the southeastern Ohio area. She worked to put herself through college and attained an art education degree from Ohio University. She taught art in the Eastern School District and at Wellson High School. Kessler believed that art was a learned skill and while some may have a natural ability, anyone could do anything with enough instruction and practice.
Kessler loved music and was a very accomplished guitar player. She taught piano and guitar lessons for years. She was a member of the Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Wellston and a member of the choir. She was also a member of the Ecumenical Choir. She was active in the Wellston Rotary and played the guitar in the Rotary shows. She belonged to the Garden
Tenders Garden Club and was president of the Jackson County Chapter of ORTA (retired teacher). She died on September 16, 2021.
“Because of Kessler’s love for the arts, an endowed scholarship is being created to benefit a student from Wellston High School who would like to pursue a career in the fine arts,” said choir spokesperson Pam Downard. “What better way to remember this remarkable teacher!”
“The choir is accepting donations to the Lucinda Kessler Scholarship in memory of Cindy,” Downard said. “We are hoping to build the scholarship fund so that we can present a deserving Wellston High School graduate, who wants to pursue a career in Fine Arts, a $1,000 scholarship.”
Gifts to this fund are tax deductible and can be made in many ways including cash or check, appreciated stock transfers, IRA charitable rollovers, as a grant from a donor-advised fund, and through a multi-year pledge, allowing donors to best meet their financial goals while enabling the fund to receive its match today, Downard advised. All gifts can be mailed to the Scioto Foundation, P.O. Box 911, Portsmouth, Ohio 45662.
Additional information about the Lucinda L. Kessler Fine and Performing Arts Scholarship Fund or other planned giving opportunities may be obtained by contacting Patty Tennant, Scioto Foundation Program Manager – Donor Services or Executive Director Kim Cutlip at the Scioto Foundation, (740) 354-4612.
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