The Ellington Family’s lifelong commitment to education

Life in Kentucky in the 1930s was a lot different than it is today. Everything was simpler, yet harder at the same time. Automobiles were still considered a luxury. Many students attending Morehead State University arrived by train or on horses. Some students even came on foot, which was the case for Lindsay Ellington. However, the difference between him and other students was the distance traveled.  

Ellington, a native of Bath County, and his wife, Hazel, lived in the Zilpo area, nearly thirty miles from the heart of campus. He and Hazel, who had a teaching certificate for elementary grades, mainly taught in one-room Menifee County schools and farmed on the side. As their family started to grow and to provide additional support, Lindsay decided to continue his education and obtain a college degree. So, when he was not teaching during the summer, he would set out on foot, headed to Morehead State University. He traveled to campus on Sunday afternoon and returned home to his family and the farm on Friday evening. He graduated from MSU in 1940 and continued his career in education. Advancing in administration, Lindsay later returned to MSU and earned a master's degree in 1953. He served as principal or teacher, mostly in Bath and Rowan counties, throughout his more than 40-year career.  

Lindsay and Hazel passed on their commitment to education to their children and made many sacrifices to enable them to get a good education. From an early age, the children knew they were expected to focus on obtaining an education that would prepare them for college and beyond. Following in their father's footsteps, five of the six Ellington children attended or graduated from MSU: Vivian Ellington Hogge (Class of 1953), R. W. "Ruby" Ellington (Class of 1959), Arye Ellington Dethmers (Class of 1963) and Evelyn Ellington Sallee (Class of 1965). Earl Franklin Ellington attended MSU for two years and then transferred to the University of Kentucky. The eldest son, Lindsay Ellington Jr., had a long and successful military career. He retired as chief warrant officer in the U.S. Army before extending his service with the Federal Aviation Administration.  

The family's commitment to education was also evident through the children's pursuit of their graduate degrees and careers in education. All college graduates received master's degrees, with Earl Franklin receiving a PhD. From a career standpoint, R.W. served as a coach, teacher, principal, supervisor, and school board member while residing in Bracken and Owen Counties. Evelyn became a career kindergarten teacher at Mt. Healthy Schools, a suburb of Cincinnati. Vivian began her career in education in a one-room schoolhouse on Clearfork Road in Morehead and became a professor at Colorado State University. Earl Franklin's teaching, research, and administration career began as a professor at Oregon State University and then as a professor and dean at the University of Nebraska.  

Arye was the only college graduate who did not go into education. She received her master's degree from Purdue University. She began a career in management in the consumer products industry, first in research with Swift and Company in Chicago and later with S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. in Racine, Wisconsin. Even though Arye's career was not in the education sector, her work at S.C. Johnson and her volunteer efforts centered around education. She advocated for women in education and business during a time when there was a lot of attention on the glass ceiling. While serving as Assistant to the President, she established a Women's Business Council and active mentoring program. Her work garnered attention from the MSU Alumni Association, and she was inducted into the MSU Alumni Association Hall of Fame in 1995. She was also invited to serve as an MSU Foundation Board of Directors member from 1996-2002.  

When the Ellington parents, Lindsay and Hazel, passed away, Arye and her brother, Earl Franklin, encouraged the family to consider establishing a scholarship fund with the MSU Foundation to honor their parents' legacy. At the time, the contribution level to establish an endowment was $10,000. So, in June 1995, the children came together to contribute the funds to create the Lindsay R. and Hazel R. Ellington Memorial Scholarship Fund. The scholarship supports students from Bath, Menifee, or Rowan County majoring in education.  

"The Ellington family is honored for the opportunity to provide scholarships to qualifying students from the area where our parents taught school and we grew up," said Arye. "It is a most appropriate way of recognizing our parents, who were educators and believed so strongly in the value of education, and simultaneously contribute to an ongoing supply of qualified teachers. We also hope the scholarships we provide will remind recipients that prior generations of MSU graduates believe in them and support their educational journey."   

Since its establishment, the Ellington family has continued contributing to and growing the Fund. Their principal contributions and the Fund's investment growth have caused the scholarship endowment value to soar to over $260,000. Thanks to the Ellington family's generosity, over one hundred students have received this special scholarship, now valued at $2,000 a year per student, with multiple students selected annually.  

The Ellington family's commitment to staying involved with MSU is also notable. Since 1991, the family has hosted an annual family reunion. Every year, with a few exceptions, a different family member hosts the group, and locations range from the California and North Carolina coasts to back home in Kentucky. While the locations change annually and the schedule differs from year to year, one thing remains the same. This common element is an annual family meeting with a gavel that includes a scholarship endowment update and acknowledging the recipients the scholarship is supporting each year. The Ellington children and their descendants are a testament to how parents' commitment to education can be passed down for generations.