The Eastern Surfing Association's legendary former Executive Director, Dr. Colin J. Couture first presented the concept of a scholarship program to the association in 1980. The idea was enthusiastically received by the Board of Directors and by 1981 the program was in motion. The program was named The Marsh Scholarship to recognize and honor the accomplishments of the Marsh family of North Carolina, and in particular a young member of the family, Mike Marsh. This family, led by surfing's highly respected East Coast Matriarch the late Bette Marsh, and Mike Marsh in particular, who earned his law degree while simultaneously and successfully waging his own private battle with a debilitating disease, set a fine example for students and surfers everywhere. The purpose of the program was (and is) to offer financial aid to deserving student surfers who wish to continue their education beyond the secondary school level. The grants are awarded on the basis of academics and citizenship rather than athletic ability. A detailed application (reviewed by an elected panel of six qualified readers) and letters of recommendation are the major criteria for the selection committee, and while there are no application fees involved, applicants must be ESA members in good standing. I was selected by Doc to oversee the program and to raise the initial seed money. Doc was a master of delegation - obviously he recognized an obnoxious fundraiser when he saw one... My strategy was simple - beat money out of everybody with endless insults, shameful false accusations, and wholly invented inter district challenges. Undignified yes .. but it worked! The program got off to a good start thanks to incredible support from the districts. Within two years we had 100% district participation and leaders like The Republic of South Jersey, The Dreaded Frozen North of Pytor Panovich, Ayatollah Purkey's Holy City of Virginia Beach, The Maryland Marauders, The CNC Purple Gang under Capo di Tutti Capos famiglia Wadsworth, and Clark Wallin's ever fearsome Marine Corp from SNC. Every district had a distinct personality and thankfully every single one of them pitched in. Later we gained support from shop owners, industry figures, magazines (Steve Pezman and Bob Mignona were great to us), loads of individual members, and other folks somehow involved or interested in surfing. The first contribution the fund received was a coffee can with some coins in it (and also a few 22 caliber bullets) from CNC District. It was less than $5.00 - but it was a start. Since then we have awarded well over $100,000.00 to more than a hundred recipients and we have invested another $150,000.00 to endow the fund well into the future. These funds are (and always have been) professionally managed by Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, with secondary advice from Legg Mason Wood Walker, and Scudder, Stevens and Clark. All statements are reviewed every year by Donovan, Sullivan and Ryan CPAs - a very prestigious Massachusetts based accounting firm. We have also been chosen to act as managers and trustees of funds by various industry members - which we are happy to do. The Marsh Scholarship is the largest and most prestigious surfing related scholarship program in the world - and in retrospect is one of Doc Couture's finest contributions (among too many to count) to amateur surfing. It is clearly a program that every ESA member should be proud of! Marsh Scholarship applications are available through individual District Directors or Central Headquarters
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. Special Programs Director , ESA |
