Donor Legacies
Gift of a Lifetime
Carl E. Brooks
The Carl E. Brooks Scholarship Fund provides scholarship assistance to worthy high school graduates of Scioto County, Ohio. The scholarship gives preference to applicants that show financial need and a disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act. The first scholarship award was given in the spring of 2001.
During most of his adult life, Mr. Brooks resided in North Fort Myers, Florida; but his roots were in Scioto County, Ohio. Carl was born in Portsmouth and attended the U.S. Grant Grade School until he moved to Union Township after the 1937 flood. There he lived along the Little Bear Creek near Highway 73. He attended Union Township Grade School and Otway High School.
During WWII, at the age of 17, Carl left the area to join the Navy Seabees where he served in New Guinea and the Philippine Islands. Carl continued public service by becoming a U.S. Customs Agent. From his work he became deeply interested in learning Spanish and upon retirement, Carl renewed his efforts which ultimately took him to Cuarnavaca, Mexico. There he lived for two months with a Mexican Family and attended a language school. When Carl returned to Ft. Myers, he began teaching English to Spanish speaking immigrants. For over eleven years Carl devoted himself to teaching English to speakers of other languages.
Why did Carl Brooks create this fund for worthy students in Scioto County? According to Carl, "I thought I should try to do something beneficial for the town and county of my birth, the place and people that nurtured me during my formative years. I hope that by this gift Portsmouth and Scioto County will be better off because Carl E. Brooks passed this way on his journey through life."