Scholarship aided by festival proceeds

The City of Roses Music Heritage Association endowed a music scholarship Tuesday as festival organizers are preparing for the Cape Girardeau event's 10th year.

Representatives from the association, both past and present, presented a $7,000 check Tuesday afternoon at the floodwall to representatives from Southeast Missouri State University. The money will be added to $3,000 already waiting to create a scholarship in the name of William Shivelbine, Homer Gilbert and Eddie Keys; Shivelbine and Keys were musicians who operated local music stores; Gilbert played in local bands, including the Cape Girardeau Municipal Band.

The need-based scholarship will provide $500 each year for a student studying music at Southeast.

"Every year we have students waiting in line for these scholarships," said Jane Stacy, the university's director of alumni services and development. "This is a wonderful thing."

Stacy said 70 percent of Southeast students either work, are on some form of student aid or have scholarships to help pay for their education.

The majority of Southeast's scholarships are endowed scholarships, she said.

Former City of Roses Music Heritage Association members Doc Cain, Don Greenwood, Larry Underberg and Wes Wade, as well as current festival organizers Don Ganim and Mary Ramsey, were on hand for the check presentation.

The annual festival didn't start out with the commitment to endow a scholarship, but the scholarship became a project for festival organizers in the event's first few years, Greenwood and Cain said.

Cain said this year was a good time to endow the scholarship since it's the festival's 10th anniversary and the event is now organized by "new blood."

Ramsey and Ganim said they hope to continue contributions to the scholarship from future festival proceeds.

Endowing the scholarship is a positive reflection on the festival in its 10th year, Ramsey said. She said Tuesday's endowment will add to the momentum leading up to what she says will be a "big festival."

msanders@semissourian.com

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