Barbara and Edward Brookshire Scholarship Fund - Purdue

Year Founded

2004

Purpose of Fund

The primary purpose of the Fund shall be to provide educational financial support in the form of scholarships to financially needy student(s) each year as follows:  at least one (1) to a student recommended by the Putnam County 4-H Council; at least one (1) to a Purdue student majoring in Agriculture recommended by the Purdue Club of Putnam County.  The Board of Directors of the Putnam County Community Foundation has final approval of scholarship nominees.  It is understood that scholarship recipients may not be members or family members of advisory committees or Foundation board members.

History of Fund

"We are so grateful that we are able to help others."

Having vastly different backgrounds, Ed and Barbara Brookshire have been fortunate to have enjoyed more than 55 years of togetherness.

The couple met in 1949, during a time when the Methodist Church Overseas Relief was seeking homes and employment for families who had been in concentration camps. Ed made many visits to the local church office to inquire about a family. Barbara, who is from Chicago, worked in the church office. The couple was married just five weeks before a Ukrainian family of four arrived from Germany.

Ed comes from a family with a tradition of steadfast loyalty to the farm that has been in the family since 1891. After his years at Purdue and six years as Herdsman at the Indiana State Hospital Ed returned to operate the family's business. A dairy farm since 1916, Brookshire Farms was known for its outstanding production.

Barbara used the knowledge she gained on the farm in the classroom, helping children to understand where food comes from through a course called Farming in the Classroom. Barbara was active in the Dairy Association and in the Extension Homemakers, and represented the state in an exchange program to Scotland.

Barbara and Edward experienced the sorrow of having their educations interrupted for financial reasons during the Great Depression, and recognize the importance of education for a successful life. The Barbara and Edward Brookshire Scholarships Fund were founded in 2004. Two scholarships will be awarded annually to Putnam County residents from the couple's scholarship fund. One will be selected by the Purdue Club of Putnam County and the other will be selected by the Putnam County 4-H Scholarship Committee.