APSU alumni John and Carolyn Lander create the Bryan and Helen Crutcher Endowed Scholarship
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University alumni John and Carolyn Lander recently made a generous contribution to the APSU Foundation to establish the Bryan and Helen Crutcher Endowed Scholarship to benefit Austin Peay students.
Carolyn, daughter of the late Joan and Herman Haley, is a native of Trenton, Kentucky, and a graduate of Todd County Central High School (TCCHS). The scholarship is intended to assist TCCHS graduates. To be eligible, students must be incoming freshmen with a 3.5 GPA and a minimum ACT composite score of 24. Preference will be given to applicants with at least one AP course credit. The scholarship is non-renewable.
The Landers established the scholarship to honor Dr. Bryan and Helen Crutcher. During her time as an undergraduate at Austin Peay, Carolyn was the recipient of a scholarship funded by the Crutchers. The late Dr. Bryan Crutcher graduated from Austin Peay in 1952 and Helen Crutcher graduated in 1955. Dr. Bryan Crutcher retired as a professor in the APSU Department of Education, and Helen Crutcher was also a professional educator. Her 35-year career as a high school English teacher included being a member of the first faculty to serve TCCHS when it opened in 1963 upon consolidation of Todd County Schools. She remained a dedicated teacher there until her retirement in 1993.
In the April 2015 TCCHS Alumni Association Email Newsletter, Jan Bartee Walker, a 1979 TCCHS graduate, stated, “Ms. Helen encouraged us to think ahead to college and career. She assumed we were all going to college and taught her students as though they were to be English majors! She gave us her best, personally and professionally, every day and expected her example to become a template for our adult lives.”
John Lander earned his bachelor’s degree in 1971; Carolyn Lander graduated with her bachelor’s degree in 1975. Their daughter is also an APSU graduate, and all three family members benefited from merit scholarships and maintained jobs as student workers while at Austin Peay. John’s brother and sister and Carolyn’s grandmother and late sister all received degrees from APSU as well. John’s mother was an Austin Peay staff member at the Felix G. Woodward Library for several years before retiring from that position.
John worked in the APSU Office of Information Technology for 38 years, retiring in 2004 as Manager of Analysis and Programming and then working part-time for seven years on special projects. Carolyn retired as a Senior Computer Programmer for the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System after 30 years of service. John and Carolyn have two children, Susan and Adam. Over the years, the Landers have given back to their alma mater through numerous academic funds and scholarships.
“This university has played an important role in our lives,” John Lander said. “We met at APSU and were married in the bowl between the library and Harvill Hall.”
Endowments are permanently restricted funds managed by the Austin Peay State University Foundation. The amount of each scholarship award may vary and will be determined based upon the value of the endowment and the Foundation spending plan.
To support APSU fundraising initiatives, contact the Office of University Advancement at 931-221-7127.
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