LaPenna’s Estate Gift to Endow Scholarship She Established to Honor Her Grandmother

In 2005 Mary “Beth” LaPenna, CLASS ’75, established a scholarship at Mercer in memory of her beloved grandmother, Dorothy Louise “Dot” Wefel Matthews. Dot was born on August 7, 1899, in Seneca Falls, New York, the birthplace of women’s rights and home of the first women’s rights convention in 1848.

Although Dot and her family moved to Mobile, Alabama, in the winter of 1900, the influence of her birthplace shaped Dot’s beliefs regarding the social, civil, and religious conditions and rights of women.

The proud grandmother of ten grandchildren and the greatly revered matriarch of the family, Dot was a strong presence with both her lively personality and her generosity. Forward-thinking and independent, in 1968 Dot made provisions for her grandchildren’s college educations by creating a trust. This same trust also provided for the college educations for her nine great-grandchildren.

Beth LaPenna was the first student to choose the newly offered Individualized Major in the College of Liberal Arts in 1973. Tailoring the curriculum to specifically address her interest in psychology and criminal justice, she completed a degree in human resources. Pairing the classroom and practical internships, Beth’s rewarding experience at Mercer was one of both learning and service to others. Remembering her grandmother’s example of generosity and intrinsic value of education for women led Beth to establish the Dorothy Wefel Matthews Expendable Scholarship in Women’s and Gender Studies at Mercer.

Since the fund was established in 2005, 23 awards totaling more than $119,000 have been given to 20 students with financial need who are majoring in Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS). In 2012 three of Dot’s other grandchildren, Dale Matthews Ash, Cindy Matthews Colville, and Hooper Matthews III, also began contributing to the scholarship as a tribute to their grandmother.

Beth has made plans in her estate for the scholarship to become fully endowed upon her death. This visionary and generous act will create a lasting legacy that will permanently link Beth’s family with the traditions and future of Mercer and its students.