GREENEVILLE – Multiple alumni have rallied to create an endowed scholarship in memory of a beloved former campus leader and coach who had a profound impact on Tusculum University students.
Alumni fondly remember Marion Edens.
The newest endowed scholarship recognizes the legacy of Marion Edens, a 1932 Tusculum graduate who coached several teams, served as athletic director and worked in the Office of Admission at the university. Donors have already contributed about $110,000 toward the endowed scholarship with more potentially still to come.
To qualify for an endowed scholarship, $25,000 needs to be raised.
“Seeing our donors already raise about $85,000 more than is needed to launch an endowed scholarship demonstrates their commitment to educating Tusculum students and serves as a testament to the respect so many people still hold for Marion Edens,” said Edward Roberts, Tusculum’s vice president for institutional advancement. “We are grateful to these Pioneers for their generosity and diligence to pull this plan together and make the outcome such a tremendous success.”
Roberts said the effort to pursue an endowed scholarship in recognition of Edens developed from the anonymous donor’s suggestion. When the donor was a child, he knew Edens. The donor said Edens was well accepted in the community.
The initial momentum for the scholarship came through a matching gift that brought the total to $13,000. When he heard about that amount, Jim Owen, a 1960 graduate, was motivated to set a fundraising goal of $100,000. He was part of a core group, which also included Ralph Horne, a 1957 graduate; Ken Stiritz, a 1960 graduate; and Dr. Richard Winant, a 1969 Tusculum graduate, who helped raise funds for the scholarship.
Owen’s connection to Edens was through frequent conversations, and they came to know each other quite well. Owen enjoyed their talks and felt close to him.
Marion Edens made a positive impact on Tusculum students.
Dr. Winant highlighted many personal qualities Edens possessed, such as a great smile, humor, love for the university and students and knowledge of the academic programs at the higher education institution.
“My experience with Marion while attending Tusculum was the same as many other students,” Dr. Winant said. “He would always say hi, he knew your name, he asked how things were going and he always offered a listening ear. His student admission’s office door was always open to hear concerns or issues or help with whatever trouble we were having at the time.”
As a result of the outreach from the core group, about 20 alumni whose graduation years spanned from 1953-1977, have donated so far to the Marion C. Edens Academic Memorial Scholarship. Owen said donors also shared stories about Edens, which he found impressive.
Over the years, other alumni have spotlighted how meaningful Edens’ imprint was on Tusculum.
John Redden, U.S. Navy retired and a 1965 Tusculum graduate, recollected in a 2014 alumni news item how Edens came through at the last minute with a $500 scholarship through his local Presbyterian church. Redden’s education at Tusculum qualified him for flight training with the Navy, which resulted in a career as a carrier pilot. He said this would not have been possible without Edens’ assistance.
The late Walter Johnson, a 1970 graduate, detailed in a speech when he received an honorary Doctor of Science how Edens personally loaned him funds to cover his tuition.
Left to right, Ralph Horne, Jim Owen and Dr. Richard Winant were three of the people instrumental in advancing the endowed scholarship in memory of Marion Edens. Horne has passed away since this photo.
In addition to recruiting many students to Tusculum as a leader in the Office of Admission, Edens had a distinguished career in athletics. He earned letters on the Pioneer football team from 1929-1932. His last two seasons included a 6-1-1 team in 1931 and a 5-2 finish in 1932.
He later served as Tusculum’s athletic director while also serving as head football coach in 1946, men’s basketball head coach from 1942-1944 and 1946-1947 and head baseball coach in 1947. In 1983, Edens was inducted into the Tusculum Sports Hall of Fame.
The book “Tusculum College Tennessee” by Frank T. Wheeler, published in 2000 by Arcadia Publishing, said Edens was granted an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from the university in 1975. Earlier in his life, he served in the Navy during World War II.
“This scholarship is a classic case of the way treating people with kindness and helping them at an important juncture in their lives will be remembered by the recipient,” Roberts said. “Marion Edens set an outstanding example for everyone to emulate, and we are honored and pleased students will benefit directly from his goodness.”
Anyone who would like to donate to the Edens scholarship can visit www.tusculum.edu/giving and note the contribution is for that fund. Additional information about the university is available at www.tusculum.edu.