FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 19, 1999

Fairbanks, Alaska- For some college students, nothing short of a major earthquake, foreign military invasion or a 55-gallon drum of espresso will motivate them to get up before the crack of dawn. But on Wednesday night, University of Alaska Fairbanks freshman Aubrey Miner set her alarm clock for 6 a.m. with a purpose- to meet Bernard Sherwood and his two daughters, Sue Wilken and Robin Smith.

During UAF's Third Annual Scholarship Breakfast held Thursday morning, Miner met face-to-face for the first time with the family responsible for her continued college education.

The scholarship breakfast honored donors who financially supported UAF through 220 scholarships this year and the students who received the funds, which totaled $339,000.

More than 80 percent of this year's scholarships were endowments by private donors who support the university's educational efforts. Endowments are established in perpetuity, with the interest earned from the investment of the principal funding paid to students as annual scholarships.

During the breakfast, students like Miner mingled with University of Alaska Board of Regents members, UAF faculty and administrators and the donors that funded part of their college education. This year's scholarship donors included long-time university supporters like Richard and Sally Wein, as well as newly involved community members like business owners Gus and Bob Luchini, who recently set up a scholarship in memory of their son, David, a UAF graduate who passed away last February.

Miner received a $500 scholarship in honor of Sherwood and his deceased wife, June, which is given annually to students born in Fairbanks and enrolled at UAF. The funds were enough for Miner to buy textbooks, cover fees and pay for livings costs- expenses that threatened to prevent Miner from continuing her studies toward a bachelor's degree in biology.

"I was so nervous the night before, going to bed early and worrying when my body kept saying that I should be staying up and studying," Miner said. "The overwhelming question was, how was I going to say thank you for all that they've done?"

But Miner had nothing to worry about. Sherwood and his two daughters knew they were going to like Miner even before they met her in person. As a small family committee, they read each application before recommending Miner as the scholarship recipient.

"We just knew that Aubrey was the perfect candidate for the scholarship the minute we read about her," Wilken said. "She's one of those special students that you can see are going to go places, and we're happy we can be a part of making that happen."

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JCS/11-19-99/00-029