The Juniata County School District is extremely appreciative of being the recipient of a gift of $221,050 from the estate of the late Thomas R. Shope, who served as a geography teacher at Tuscarora Junior High School and Juniata High School for 23 years.
The Thomas R. Shope Scholarship Fund will provide $5,000 each year upon graduation to the Juniata High School student who has shown outstanding and documented community service during their junior and senior years of high school, to be selected by a panel of teachers who will make the selection of the student most deserving of the award.
Mr. Shope, who passed away May 11, 2024 at the age of 90 from the effects of Alzheimer's disease, has been described as a man “who always had a song in his heart.”
Wife Anna Shope says that her husband loved being a teacher and thought highly of his students.
Mr. Shope himself was an example of community service, as he enjoyed driving seniors in the West Hanover van and was a volunteer for Bunny People animal shelter and Operation Christmas Child. He loved to sing and travel, and had a fondness for sweets, animals (especially cats), children, going to the casino and new cars. A loving husband, stepfather and grandfather, he is also fondly remembered by his former students of the Juniata County School District.