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New scholarship for students pursuing St. Lawrence University

CANTON — Thomas P. Wallace, a dedicated educator who earned his master’s degree at St. Lawrence University in 1964, has established a scholarship to support students from Saranac Lake, Lake Placid and Tupper Lake in their pursuit of a St. Lawrence University degree. The Wallace Adirondack Tri-Lakes Scholarship honors his family’s ties to the region while paving the way for future generations to thrive.

For Wallace, St. Lawrence represents the ideal of what undergraduate education should be: a supportive, close-knit environment that mirrors the sense of community he cherished growing up on Saranac Lake.

“I saw how people came together to lift one another up,” he said. “That sense of community never left me and guided my career in higher education.”

When he wanted to go to college, Wallace used his savings from summer work as a gas station attendant and a lifeguard. In true small-town fashion, he even received a $200 no-interest loan from a local bank president who believed in his future. After earning a Ph.D. in chemistry from Clarkson University in 1967, Wallace built a career in higher education, first as a faculty member and later as an administrator at several institutions of varying sizes. He retired as president of Illinois State University. Wallace has witnessed how rising costs have become a sometimes-insurmountable barrier to students.

“College is now too far out of reach for many American families,” he said. “Not only does it lead to a lifetime of frustration for them, but the nation also loses valuable talent.”

Saranac Lake native Molly Tooker ’28 is the first recipient of the scholarship and has decided to double major in music and digital media.

“My grandparents are St. Lawrence alumni and we always thought it would be the perfect school for me,” Tooker said. “The only question was whether I could afford it. I’m so grateful to Dr. Wallace for establishing this scholarship and making it possible for me to attend my dream school. I absolutely love it here.”

The Wallace family roots in the Adirondack region date back to 1915, when Wallace’s grandmother, Beatrice (Betty) Elizabeth Wallace, moved to Saranac Lake as a single mother of two young sons, Thomas D. and William J. Wallace. Betty worked for over 40 years as a cook and housekeeper for Edmond Guggenheim at his summer estate on Lower Saranac Lake. Today, over 60 descendants of the Wallace brothers have benefited from and are indebted to the culture and environment of the Tri-Lakes area. Wallace created this scholarship as a gesture of gratitude to the community that shaped him, a tribute to the courage and inner strength of the Wallace matriarch, Betty, and a token of affection for the Wallace brothers.

“It will give me great satisfaction to sit down with my morning coffee one day and open the news to find an article about a St. Lawrence student doing something great, in part because of the support I provided to the University,” Wallace said.

In addition to this scholarship, St. Lawrence awards over $500,000 in tuition assistance exclusively to North Country students each year through the Augsbury/North Country Scholarship. Students interested in learning more about St. Lawrence University can visit stlawu.edu/admissions.

Starting at $4.75/week.

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