Summerville High School Foundation Receives a Large Endowment

The entire Board of Directors and School Staff Celebrate the BIG CHECK. From the facing page at the left, Wayne deGennaro, Jimmie Nixon, Michael Merrill, Darrell Slocum, Betsy Hurst, Ericka Simonson, Sandra Asquith. First row: SHSF E. D., Jan Hiebert, Stephene Tune, Jamee Dahl, Patt Koral,

Back in 2010 the Foundation was approached by an alumnus from 1945, Frank Barron Cota. He wanted to ensure that the Foundation would receive the proceeds from the sale of his home upon his death.

Mick Grimes, the former Executive Director of Sonora Area Foundation was a Board Member on the SHS Foundation back then, and worked with Frank to reach out to an attorney and create his trust. Sadly, Frank passed away in July of 2023. His home sold the following April 2024, and the Foundation recently received a check for $157,246.04 in the form of an endowment specified in the trust to be used to set up a memorial scholarship in Frank’s name. The Board Members of the SHS Foundation and I are very grateful for this gift!

We are pleased to announce that we will award the first Frank B. Cota Memorial Scholarship this coming May at the Summerville Scholarship Awards Night.

Darrell Slocum requests that the Board of Directors and guests at the meeting each sign the CTE Pledge.
Clockwise from top facing right: Betsy Hurst, Board Chair, Board Members; Sandra Asquith, Patt Koral, Jimmie Nixon, SHS District Superintendent, Michael Merrill, Jame Dahl, SHS Career Counselor, Wayne deGennaro, Bear Grant Chair, Board Member Stephene Tune, SHSF Executive Director, Jan Hiebert, Board Member, Erika Simonson. In the background visitors,
Students: Evan Zang, Bryce Chamberlain, Mock Trial Teacher/Advisor: Shane Patey.

Upon graduation from SHS in 1945 Frank enlisted in the Army and was stationed in Japan. When he returned to the USA, he went to work in the Standard Mill. As years went by, he worked his way up to being a union negotiator and moved to Modesto. To honor Frank and his life-long profession, this scholarship falls in line with the new initiative at the Sonora Area Foundation Career T Technical Education (CTE) for students interested in enrolling in an apprentice program or taking up a trade once they graduate. Back in the day, we used to call this vocational education.

Last night the Summerville High School Board of Directors hosted Darrell Slocum, the Executive Director from Sonora Area Foundation to adopt the CTE Pledge and each Board Member and guests at the meeting signed the CTE Pledge Document. Also attending to show SHS District support was District Superintendent Michael Merrill, and newly appointed Career Counselor, Jamee Dahl. Our combined goal is that every graduate at Summerville will be prepared to meet the demands of the workforce in our world today.

SHSF Board Chair, Betsy Hurst hands the Frank Barron Cota Endowment fund check to Darrell Slocum for deposit to the Frank Barron Cota Memorial Scholarship Fund at Sonora Area Foundation.

We have also created a memorial Bear Grant in Frank’s name to honor this very generous man, who cared so much about his life experience at Summerville High School that he wanted to give back in some way. We have carefully planned for this CTE scholarship to be available to students for many years to come. We would like to think Frank would be very pleased and honored to be a part of this endeavor.

If you know of a SHS senior who fits the CTE profile, make sure they get in touch with Jamee Dahl, the Career Counselor at SHS: 209.9288.4228, ext: 6221.