Greensburg College Club presents annual scholarships

The Greensburg College Club continued its century-plus tradition of granting scholarships to local high school students on Thursday evening, presenting nearly $20,000 in scholarships.

“We had a wonderful group of applicants this year,” said Maxine Oleyar, part of the club’s scholarship committee. “The amount of things these kids do are just amazing.”

Receiving the club’s Dorothy Brown Ruoff Scholarship — $1,000 per year for three or four years, depending on schooling — were the following students, all from Greensburg Salem High School:

• Kevin Burkhardt, 18, who plans to attend the University of Pittsburgh in the fall to major in computer science. Burkhardt participates in theater productions, tennis and the senior choir.

• Joseph Gongaware, 18, who plans to attend Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio this fall.

• Jacob Gruss, 18, who plans to attend the Juilliard School in New York City this fall.

• Katlyn Swierczynski, 18, who has done a good deal of mission work and is a gymnast.

Emily Dill, who attends United High School in Armagh, received the club’s Elizabeth Spangler Scholarship. She plans to attend Mount Aloysius College in Cresson in the fall, to pursue a degree in physical therapy.

The Greensburg College Club is a women-only group that holds educational events and awards annual scholarships to area students.

It started during World War I to help the war efforts and later transformed into a group for college-educated women dedicated to community service and fundraising. It marked its 100th anniversary in 2018.

The group’s century-old roots in the war efforts spurred community events, such as reading circles, assistance in establishing the Greensburg Public Library and a popular Travelogue series.