DeVilder Family Scholarship Fund
TYPE OF FUND: Scholarship
DATE ESTABLISHED: February 2024
PURPOSE: To provide a scholarship to a deserving Tucker County High School graduate who will be attending a West Virginia college and majoring in one of the following fields of study listed below. The ranking represents the order of selection for the scholarship, with preference given to major #1. If no eligible candidate is found for major #1, the process proceeds to major #2, and so on, until the scholarship is awarded.
1. Engineering Major
2. STEM Major
3. Pre-Law Major
4. Business Major
5. Agricultural/Veterinary related studies
DISTIRBUTION: On the recommendation of the Scholarship Committee and final approval by the Board of Directors of TCF. The family requests to be notified of the selected candidate each year, and if the funding is sufficient to maintain a scholarship of at least $1,000 per year.
VARIANCE POWER: If, in the judgment of the TCF Board of Directors, the restrictions and conditions of the fund become unnecessary, incapable of fulfillment, or inconsistent with the charitable needs of the community, the TCF Board of Directors maintains the right to modify the terms of this land.
BACKGROUND: Around the year 1900, William Norton DeVilder moved from Clarion, Pennsylvania, to Flanagan Hill, Tucker County, in search of employment during the timber and coal boom. He married Bertha Bennett from Pendleton County, and together they started a family. They had four daughters: Margaret Stemple, Ruth Miller, Eva Sheets, and Rosalea Pritt, as well as a son, William Frank DeVilder.
William Frank DeVilder married Nola V. Martin in 1956, and they had a son named William Michael (Mike) DeVilder. Mike married Shelia A. Whetzel on October 1, 1999. After graduating from Tucker County High School in 1980, Mike attended West Virginia University to further his education. He majored in Mining Engineering, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1984, and later obtained his master's degree in Mining Engineering in 1986. In 1995, he acquired both his Professional Engineering license and Professional Surveying license. He also earned an MBA from West Virginia University in 2000. Mike worked in the mining industry from 1985 to 2024, holding various management positions.
Sheila and Mike have three children: Marcy Williams, Daniel Williams, and Jacob DeVilder. Currently, Jacob is attending West Virginia University, majoring in Biochemistry. Shelia has always had a passion for law and worked as a paralegal at Cooper & Preston Law Firm for 20 years. She currently serves as the Administrator for the Tucker County Commission.
