Waynesburg man pledges $200,000 for scholarship at Penn State Fayette
Charles E. Hunnell of Waynesburg has pledged $200,000 to establish the Florence Vernon Hunnell Scholarship at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus.
Named for Hunnell鈥檚 late mother, the scholarship will benefit full-time students at the campus, with preference given to Greene County residents.
鈥淢y mother went to Waynesburg High School. She was a good student and wanted to become a nurse, but she came from a poor family and never got the opportunity,鈥� said Hunnell, who graduated from Penn State in 1965.
鈥淲hen I was growing up, she wanted me to go as far as I could. There was never any question that I would get an education at Penn State. She was always proud to be a Penn State parent,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nyone who has the ability and desire should have the opportunity to further their education.鈥�
Hunnell has established multiple Penn State scholarship endowments for the College of Education since the 1980s in response to increases in the cost of post-secondary education. In 2018, he contributed $50,000 for the Charles E. Hunnell Open Doors Scholarship at Penn State Fayette, earning a 2:1 match from a concluded Penn State program and creating a total endowment of $150,000.
Hunnell served as an officer aboard the destroyer USS Beale. He achieved the rank of lieutenant commander, U.S. Navy (retired). He taught history at Upper St. Clair High School for 29 years before retiring in 1997, and is a member of the Penn State Fayette Advisory Board.