Chapter F of the P.E.O. Sisterhood met on June 13 at the home of chapter president Mary Kay Vance. The members welcomed Makenna Tolliver, a 2024 Wilmington High School graduate, who was awarded the Jean Heiland, Louise Linton, Marjorie L. Diebel Scholarship. Tolliver will be attending the University of Cincinnati this fall majoring in engineering.

The Jean Heiland, Louise Linton, Marjorie Diebel Scholarship is an annual award to a top female graduate from Wilmington High School. This scholarship was established in 1935. Jean Linton (who was later married to Hugh Heiland) was the very first recipient of this award.

After Jean’s passing in 2010, Chapter F, along with her family, collaborated to rename this scholarship in memory of Jean, her mother Louise Linton, and her sister Marjorie Diebel. All three women were faithful and active members of the P.E.O. sisterhood. Wilmington’s Chapter F and the Heiland family fund this annual scholarship and are delighted to be able to help this impressive and outstanding young lady, according to a news release.

Also attending was Becky Heiland Haines, who was present to award Tolliver with the scholarship, which was memorialized with Tolliver’s name engraved on the scholarship plaque. Members also welcomed Tolliver’s mother, Mandy Rudduck. Members spent time learning about Tolliver’s plans and goals for the future. The relationship between the chapter and the scholarship recipients reinforces the dedication of Chapter F to continue to fund this scholarship and philanthropic goals of the P.E.O. sisterhood, according to the release.

One of the pioneering societies for women, PE.O. was founded on Jan. 21, 1869, by seven young college women on the campus of Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Originally a small campus society, P.E.O. chose to go entirely off campus. Today, P.E.O. has grown from that tiny membership of seven to over a quarter of a million members in chapters in the United States and Canada.

From its inception, the P.E.O. Sisterhood has taken an active role in the promotion of educational opportunities for women. The mission is to help women around the world advance through education scholarships, grants, awards, and loans. Chapter F of the P.E.O. Sisterhood was organized in Wilmington in 1925 and continues to be an active part of the Wilmington community.