Wow, how the Fund has grown!

The Baker-Telfer Scholarship Fund was created in 1994 to honor Theodore (Ted) E. Baker, son of Arlene Baker and William G. Telfer, son of Carol Telfer. Both were young men who died unexpectedly, Theodore of heart disease and William in an air crash.  Arlene and Carol each donated $1,000 to begin the fund. One scholarship is awarded to a female student in each of three districts: Alief I.S.D, Houston I.S.D. and Spring Branch I.S.D who plans to begin college studies in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering or mathematics.  For a number of years the value of the  (3) scholarships remained at  $200 per student.  During the last few years, generous donations have allowed the scholarship to grow to its current level of $3,500 per student.

In 2005 the scholarship fund was incorporated with the state of Texas and was granted 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status by the IRS. This status allows donations to be recognized as tax deductible. The Fund name was changed to Thomsen-Baker-Telfer Scholarship Fund in 2022 to acknowledge a significant contribution and ongoing commitment of Pat and Leon Thomsen to the scholarship.

Funds for the current years’ scholarship commitment are held in a checking account.  Amounts in excess of the annual scholarships are invested in interest bearing accounts.  The goal is to have one yearly scholarship funded by long term investments and the two (2) remaining scholarships funded by yearly donations of members and friends.

In June of 2024, the Fund will award $3,500 to each of three (3) students. The amount of the scholarship is set annually  by the AAUW West Harris County Board.  The fund also pays for meals for each winner in attendance and their guest at the June Awards Luncheon.

The 2023-2024 Fiscal year for the scholarship fund has been stellar.  In the fall of 2023, an anonymous donor challenged the membership with a $10,000 matching grant offer.  The membership met the challenge and raised more than $10,000.  Two other significant donations were made by anonymous donors: one for $10,000 and one for $5,000.  In addition, Leon and Pat Thomsen made an additional donation of $10,000 to the fund.  These generous donations will allow the scholarship fund to continue for many more years.

This webpage was last modified: March 7, 2024