| | Published November 14th, 2018
| Scholarship named in memory of beloved educator
| | | By John T. Miller | | |
With the passing of Joe Anthony last June - a former Acalanes Union High School District teacher, counselor and administrator - the Rossmoor Scholarship Foundation has named a $3,000 scholarship in his memory.
His wife of 69 years, Cecilia Anthony, said, "Joe sat in all the chairs" in the local school system.
Anthony began teaching in the AUHSD in 1955 before becoming a head counselor at Del Valle. In the late 1960s he became an assistant principal at Campolindo High School and advanced to principal at Las Lomas during the 1970s. Beginning in 1980 he served as assistant superintendent for four years and moved to superintendent until his retirement in 1989.
Although retired, Anthony's commitment to education never ended. When Joe and Cecelia moved to Rossmoor in 2012 he was recruited to serve on the RSF, becoming one of its most beloved trustees, according to foundation correspondent Marilyn Mansfield: "He had a long struggle with emphysema and COPD, but pushing a walker and an oxygen tank never stopped him from doing everything he could for the foundation and the students needing scholarships."
Anthony joined fellow volunteer trustees interviewing scholarship applicants at Concord High School for many years. The RSF will fund the $3,000 memorial scholarship beginning in 2019 to a student at Concord High.
Every year, RSF awards more than 50 scholarships of $3,000 each to high school seniors from Acalanes, College Park, Concord, Ygnacio Valley, Las Lomas, Mt. Diablo and Northgate, and second-year Diablo Valley College students to help them pursue a college education. Students can apply through their school's career centers.
Recipients are chosen for their academic and leadership ability, extracurricular activities, community service and/or work experience, a personal essay, teacher's recommendation, and a lack of family or financial support.
Many fellow teachers, administrators, and former students shared their love, respect and admiration for Anthony at a memorial in August. Other former students, including some who graduated more than 50 years ago but who still remember him fondly, sent cards to his wife.
His fellow RSF members remember Anthony as "a man with vision and passion for youth."
Additional scholarships will be named for Anthony if more funds are received from the communities he served, enabling local students with financial needs to pursue college educations.
For more information on the RSF foundation, or to make a donation, visit www.rossmoorscholarshipfoundation.org.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA