The John and Priscilla Charron Memorial Scholarship

Criteria: ($1000 award) The John and Priscilla Charron Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to an undergraduate student majoring in Business Administration or Economics with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. A preference will be given to non-traditional age students, and the scholarship is available to both full time and part time students.

Jack and Priscilla felt that education could open doors and provide many opportunities. Neither had the opportunity to attend college before they were married and started their family, but they instilled the value of a good education into their five children: Elizabeth Wark (Professor of Business Administration and Economics at WSU), Lauryn O’Connor, William Charron, Jacqueline Charron and Eric Charron. All five children earned their bachelor’s degrees with the help of their parents and many small scholarships as well! They have also earned eight master’s degrees and one doctoral degree between the five of them.
Both Jack and Priscilla took classes at Holyoke Community College while their children were young. Jack was able to rise up the corporate ladder to increasingly higher positions, including V.P. of Operations at James River Graphics, and he later opened his own business. Priscilla returned to school in the late 1970s and finished her B.A. at Mount Holyoke in 1989 as a Frances Perkins Scholar for non-traditional age students. At one point, Priscilla and 4 of her 5 children were in college at the same time! She later completed her Master’s degree in Student Personnel Administration in Higher Education from Springfield College in 1991. It was a very tough balance as a student and full-time busy mother, but she still earned the best grades of us all!
Our parents provided us with great educations and sacrificed many things over the years so that we all could go to college. Watching our mother return to college and work so hard to earn her degree is one of the key reasons why we wanted to start a scholarship in their honor.