YSU alum creates $491K schoalrship fund

WINDHAM — Youngstown State University alumnus and former teacher Robert E. Kimes has created a $491,000 scholarship endowment to benefit students in Portage County’s Windham School District where he once taught.

With his gift, the 1973 YSU graduate has established a perpetual scholarship designated specifically for graduates of Windham High School. The scholarship honors the memory of his wife, Anneliese Kimes, and her sister, Maria, and mother, Wilhelmina Berg.

“My wife and I always believed that education is one of the pillars of today’s society, and that is why I chose to honor her, her mother and sister this way,” said Kimes, who was a math and science teacher at Windham Middle School for 15 years. “I think a scholarship is the best way to help current and future students reach their full potential.”

YSU President Jim Tressel said scholarship endowments like the Kimes gift create a lasting legacy.

“We at Youngstown State are so grateful for the generosity of donors like Mr. Kimes who value their own education and who want to provide financial assistance for deserving students for many, many years to come,” Tressel said today at a news conference at Windham High School.