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Barbara Ann Curtis

Sue Helwig

DALLAS TWP. — The frugality spanned generations: An inherited gift no one seemed anxious to spend. It sat in the hands of an unassuming woman who had attended Gate of Heaven Elementary, West Side Catholic High School and Misericordia College, then went on to live with her sister while teaching in a New Jersey Borough of some 5,000 people.

By the time Barbara Ann Curtis died two years ago at the age of 72, that frugality had paid off big: The gift inherited by her father and put into a trust under her control had grown to $2.65 million, and she opted to bequeath it all to Misericordia, to benefit hundreds of families she never met.

“For many years Barbara said she was interested in what she could do for Misericordia,” her brother, Dr. John Curtis of Alabama, recounted in phone interview Wednesday. “She really loved her time at Misericordia, and she felt that it had given her a profession.”

The money establishes the Curtis Family Scholarship Fund, announced by the Misericordia University on Wednesday. The fund earmarks scholarships for students from Luzerne County and the contiguous counties of Wyoming, Lackawanna, Monroe, Carbon, Schuylkill, Columbia and Sullivan who show academic success, financial need and enroll full time at Misericordia.

“We are very thrilled and humbled by this gift,” Misericordia Vice President of University Advancement Sue Helwig said. “Barbara was a pretty simple lady, and we were aware there was a gift that would be coming to us, but we certainly were not aware of the extent of her generosity.

It is the largest gifts from a graduate ever, more than double the second biggest provided by a donor who asked to remain anonymous, Helwig said. “Barbara certainly set the bar very high.”

A 1963 graduate when the school was still Misericordia College and accepted women only, Barbara became a member of the “Heart of Mercy Society,” a group that commits to putting Misericordia into their estate planning. The size of the gift, however, can astound in light of a life displaying little evidence of such prosperity.

Shavertown transplant

John Curtis said neither parent completed college, and the family’s arrival in Luzerne County was a matter of circumstances. They had been in Rochester when his dad, a salesman, was assigned to territory here. Barbara was about 8 at the time. “We grew up in Shavertown,” he said.

Barbara developed a passion for sailing on Harveys Lake, and became a huge fan of Notre Dame football, her brother said. He speculated that was the result of regular recruiting visits by Notre Dame at the old Kingston High School.

But when it was time for college, Barbara choose Misericordia for her bachelors, and Seton Hall University in New Jersey for her master’s degree.

All of which led to a life living with her younger sister Dorothy, an X-ray technologist, while teaching elementary students in Highstown, New Jersey. In the summer, they traveled, backpacking in Eastern Africa, visiting the Holy Land in Israel, and riding the Trans-Siberian Railway across Russia, among other adventures.

“She and Dorothy didn’t have any fears about going everywhere,” John Curtis said.

Attended reunions

Barbara visited Misericordia often, attending reunions long after it had become co-ed and even after it became a university. “We stayed in touch with her and talked to her right before she had passed away,” Helwig said. “She saw the university through years of pretty significant changes, and stayed a true partner with us.”

Helwig said Barbara left few restrictions on the money. The university expects it will generate about “$100,000 a year, forever.” It’s enough money to provide several full scholarships, or to divvy up in smaller amounts to help more students, Helwig said.

And there apparently is more coming. Barbara willed her entire estate to the university, and the total value hasn’t been worked out, Helwig added.

John Curtis said his sister was always frugal, yet adventurous. She taught what is now considered middle school, which can mean dealing with more problematic students, just old enough to get rebellious but not old enough to have found their focus in life. She also taught what are now called STEM subjects — Science, Technology, Engineering and Math — decades before the term became popular.

Asked what it’s like to see the Curtis family name attached to such a large scholarship fund at a small, private institution, John Curtis didn’t mince words.

“It makes me feel great. I can’t think of anything better to do with that trust money than to be involved in education, especially in that area. Misericordia is a very deserving school.”

“I was a little bit surprised it was the largest sum ever, but I’m glad,” John Curtis said. “I really think the Curtis Family Trust is now a perpetual legacy that will go on and on and on, after all the Curtis family members are long gone.”