HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Charles B. Hedrick and his wife, Mary Jo Locke Hedrick, of Cincinnati have presented Marshall University with a significant gift that qualifies them as the 10th member of the Pathway of Prominence.

Including the Hedricks’ gift, acknowledged during an unveiling ceremony at the Pathway Friday (Oct. 18) evening, $48.3 million has been raised or pledged since Marshall’s Campaign for National Prominence began in 1999, according to H. Keith Spears, Vice President for Institutional Advancement and the Campaign’s co-director.

“Charles and Mary Jo are longtime supporters of Marshall University academics and this outstanding gift demonstrates that their heart remains in the heart of the university,” Spears said.

The public phase of the Campaign began a month ago. Marshall’s goal is to raise $100 million by Dec. 31, 2005.

The Pathway of Prominence is an area dedicated to anyone who has donated at least $1 million to Marshall. The Pathway is located between Old Main and the Memorial Student Center on the Huntington campus.

The Hedricks currently support three major Marshall programs, which will become endowed through their estate. They include:

• The Hedrick Tutoring Program, which provides tutoring support in math and reading to students in grades one through three. 
   
• The Dr. Charles E. Hedrick Outstanding Faculty Award, which annually provides a $5,000 award to the outstanding teacher at Marshall. Charles E. Hedrick was chairman of the Marshall history department and chairman of the Graduate Council. He was Charles B. Hedrick’s father. 
   
• The Charles B. and Mary Jo Locke Hedrick Scholarship, a four-year award of full tuition, fees and books to an academically talented student from West Virginia with first priority going to students from Cabell, Logan, Putnam and Wayne counties. 

 The Hedricks also support the Marshall University Center for Teaching Excellence.

This is a particularly significant contribution from the Hedricks because it matches specific needs that Marshall has with specific desires that the Hedricks have in accomplishing the goals of their endowment,” said Tim Haymaker, national chairman of the Campaign. “It’s great when people and programs match up.”