FREDERICKTOWN – The Fredericktown High School (FHS) Alumni Association announced that a scholarship honoring the teaching career of Ruth E. Auker (1978-2003) has been fully endowed by Malcolm R. Shrimplin, an FHS graduate.
To be awarded this spring, the scholarship’s purpose is to encourage young women to further study science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
“I’m grateful for the excellent foundational education in the biological sciences that Mrs. Auker provided to me before going to college,” said Shrimplin. “While I did not study the subject further, the knowledge that I gained from Mrs. Auker has served me well during my career in the biopharmaceutical industry. I encourage others who benefited from Mrs. Auker’s tutelage, along with those who want to encourage women pursuing careers in STEM-related fields, to contribute to this scholarship.”
Auker earned a bachelor of science in secondary education from Ohio University in January of 1964. The next week, she was teaching at East Knox High School, where she met her late husband, Roger. She then taught at Fairfield Union and Mount Vernon high schools. For the next several years, she was a stay-at-home mom with her two children, Ellen and Tim. In August of 1978, she was hired to teach biology at Fredericktown High School. For 25 years at Fredericktown, she taught biology, anatomy/physiology, environmental science and unified science. After her retirement in 2003, she continued as a substitute teacher for a few years.
“I am proud to have been a member of the faculty where our goal was to prepare every student for her/his best possible future,” said Auker.
Many of her students have been successful in their careers in STEM-related fields.
Auker said, “Having served on scholarship committees for Fredericktown Education Association and Knox Community Hospital Auxiliary, I know the impact receiving a scholarship has on a student's education goals. Awarding this scholarship to a young woman pursuing a career in a STEM-related field will make it easier for her to reach her goal. I am honored to be a part of this.”
Shrimplin graduated at the top of his class at FHS in 1988 and earned a BSBA, with a specialization in operations research, cum laude from Bowling Green State University in 1992. He also holds a master’s degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in management science. Shrimplin and his husband, David, reside in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Tax-deductible donations to the Ruth E. Auker Women in STEM Scholarship may be made as follows: write a check payable to “FHS ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP FUND”; note “FHS Auker STEM” on the memo line; and mail it to The Knox County Foundation, P.O. Box 309, Mount Vernon, OH 43050-0309. To donate online, please click on the “Donate” button on the FHS Alumni website at fredericktownalumni.org and be sure to note “FHS Auker STEM” when donating.
This scholarship is the second in a series of four that are planned to honor teaching careers of female STEM teachers from Fredericktown High school and to encourage women to pursue careers in STEM-related fields. The first, the Rachel A. Gregg Women in STEM Scholarship, was awarded in the spring of 2021. Donations may also be made to the entire series of four scholarships by just noting “FHS STEM” when doing so. These donations will be allocated in an effort to keep the payout of these four scholarships across the years as consistent as possible.
