Paying It Forward

In 1951 a young Houghton student named Eileen (Griffen) Spear received a tremendous gift. Her grandmother gave her $1,800 to pay for her final two years of college. A music education major, Eileen aspired to become a teacher, and her grandmother ensured she graduated debt-free. When Eileen inquired about repayment, her grandmother responded, "Don't pay me back. Pay it forward." Eileen did and a family legacy at Houghton was born.

Houghton has quite a history with the Spear family. Taking into account marriages and other familial connections, there are four generations of Highlanders in the family tree, spanning some 83 years of Houghton history. Eileen met her husband Jim Spear '53 at Houghton. He bought Eileen's box at the first and last "box social" held on campus; Jim said it was the best fifty cents he ever spent. After college, Jim became a pastor and eventually a district superintendent for the United Methodist Church. Eileen taught music in the school system and worked with music programs at churches. They never forgot their Houghton roots and proudly saw all four of their children attend. Jim passed away in 1989 after a hard-fought, nine-year battle with lymphoma. It was then Eileen returned to Houghton, where she resides today.

Eileen soon found herself working at the college. She had started the process of paying back her grandmother's gift many years prior. She paid for her sister to attend nursing school and saw her husband through seminary; but now she wanted to do more. The college was offering a dollar-for-dollar match on new endowed scholarships. Eileen donated $5,000 in memory of her husband to start the James Spear Memorial Scholarship. With the matching grant, Houghton endowed the fund at $10,000 and it immediately began producing gifts to support Houghton students with financial need who had ministerial aspirations.

Eileen added to the endowment and eventually some of her children and grandchildren began contributing. Eileen's grandson, Ryan Spear '07, is the youngest of those donors. He gives annually. "I believe in the power of large groups of people doing small things," Ryan said. "One of the biggest hindrances to giving is the thought that you can only do so little; but 20 years from now, that little bit can really grow."

Eileen is proud to say she supported her children and grandchildren who attended Houghton and dozens of other Houghton students who became benefactors of the James Spear Memorial Scholarship. The Spear family continues to impact Houghton University today. Eileen, now 82, can often be found auditing a class or encouraging her youngest grandchildren to make the trek to Allegany County for college. Ryan works as the Associate Director of Admission Operations and lives nearby with his wife, Christie, and son, Griffin.

Houghton University continues to accept gifts like that of the Spear family and currently hosts dozens of named endowed scholarships, which contribute thousands of dollars of financial aid to Houghton students annually. A minimum $25,000 is required to endow a scholarship and can be paid over a pledge period of three to five years. For more information about endowed scholarships at Houghton University, contact the Office of Advancement at 585.567.9340.