Gift endows ARCS Advancing Science Awards
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
ARCS Foundation Honolulu Chapter members celebrated their friend’s legacy at UH Mānoa.
A $500,000 gift from a woman who never lost her love of learning will generate ARCS Scholar Awards in perpetuity in oceanography and other fields at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
ARCS Foundation Honolulu Chapter established the George Orton Elmore and Mona Marie Elmore Scholarship endowment through the bequest from Mona Elmore, a long-time member and strong supporter of the organization’s mission of advancing science in America.
ARCS Scholar Awards provide unrestricted grants to outstanding U.S. scholars in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and health fields.
The ARCS Foundation has been supporting UH students since the 1970s.
University of Hawai‘i Vice President of Advancement and UH Foundation CEO Tim Dolan said, “The ARCS Foundation’s generous support of UH students has made a tremendous impact in the lives of so many of our outstanding students. We are most grateful to all members of this dynamic group of philanthropists who are empowering our ambitious future STEM leaders to fulfil their potential.”
Raised in Pasadena, Calif., and trained in the hands-on approach of the Dewey educational pedagogy, Mona worked as a teacher and school superintendent before her marriage to George. The couple met in Laguna Beach, where the New England–born Yale graduate was a real estate developer. The couple moved to Hawai‘i, settling on O‘ahu after Hurricane ‘Iwa spared their Kaua‘i home but devastated much of the Garden Isle.
They were strong ARCS Foundation supporters for many years. ARCS Honolulu Chapter President Sui-Lan Ellsworth recalls Mona, perfectly coiffed and stylishly dressed but with a devilish grin, snatching popular holiday grab bag gifts and holding them ransom to increase funds raised for scholar awards.
“Now her generous gift will allow us to assist more students, particularly in areas such as oceanography and astronomy, where she had keen interest,” said Ellsworth.
Award preference will also be given to nursing, the field of her close friends and fellow ARCS members Lois Magnussen and Sue Thacker.
“What I remember is the astute questions she put to ARCS Scholars,” added Cheryl Ernst, chapter co-president. “She was always curious about their work.” For years Mona funded the chapter’s annual Scholar of the Year Award for the best presentation among the year’s scholar award recipients and Scientist of the Year Award for a UH faculty member who demonstrates sustained excellence in research and mentorship.
Mona was honored along with her late husband as Golden Hearts at the Honolulu Chapter’s 2013 Hearts of Gold Fundraiser for their vision and generosity. She died in December 2018 at the age of 94. “She is greatly missed, but we are happy that her memory lives on through this legacy,” said Magnussen.
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About ARCS Foundation Honolulu Chapter: The non-profit ARCS Foundation Inc. comprises 15 chapters across the nation working to keep the United States competitive in STEM fields. Since its founding in 1974, the totally volunteer Honolulu Chapter has provided more than $2.3 million in unrestricted grants to 548 University of Hawai‘i graduate students, annually supporting about a dozen $5,000 awards to students in the university’s Colleges of Natural Sciences, Engineering and Tropical Agriculture; Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology; and Institute of Astronomy. More at https://honolulu.arcsfoundation.org
The University of Hawai‘i Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawai‘i System. The mission of the University of Hawai‘i Foundation is to unite donors’ passions with the University of Hawai‘i’s aspirations by raising philanthropic support and managing private investments to benefit UH, the people of Hawai‘i and our future generations. www.uhfoundation.org
**** Photo caption: ARCS Foundation Honolulu Chapter members celebrated their friend’s legacy at UH Mānoa.
From left, Patricia (Patty) Lee, Vice President–Membership; Sui-Lan Ellsworth, Co-President; Lois Magnussen, Member & friend of the Elmores; Chery Ernst, Co-President
For more information, visit: http://www.uhfoundation.org