Mary Kathryn Merna-Mellon Endowed Scholarship Fund
This fund was created in 2006 by Edwin Dale Mellon in honor and in memory of his wife Mary, who passed away in 2002. Mary was born in Bloomington and lived on a farm in Merna, a town which was named after her grandfather. She began her education in a one-room, country schoolhouse and fulfilled her dream when she earned her bachelor of science in education degree from Illinois State Normal University in 1953. While teaching third and fourth graders at Roach School in Decatur, she met Edwin Mellon, who was also a teacher there. Together, they raised a family of five children, one daughter and four sons. The purpose of this scholarship is to honor Mary and her teacher education by providing financial support to a student pursuing his or her dream of becoming a teacher.