The Eleanor Mabel Johnson Bennett Endowed Scholarship

Eleanor Johnson was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on February 8, 1921. She had two older brothers, Howard and Lawrence, and while her mother cared for the family her father earned money as a railroad engineer. When they moved to Florida, Eleanor attended Forest Lake Academy and worked at the nearby Florida Hospital for eight cents an hour.

Upon graduation from academy, Eleanor moved to Takoma Park to join the nursing program at Washington Missionary College. She worked for the Red Cross, helping service personnel from the just-ended World War II find relatives and make contact with their families. It was during this time that she was asked to go on a date with someone she had never met. It was Wilbur Bennett.

Wilbur and Eleanor were married on July 31, 1947. Three children were born to them—Glen, Mabel and Jeannette. Later, two grandchildren, Morgan and Jacqueline, would join the Bennett family.

As a wife and mother, her energy was never-ending. She also helped as a treasurer and clerk in her church, a Pathfinder leader, a soloist and member of the choir, sometimes even taking care of the church building.

In 1965 she joined Home Study Institute (now Home Study International) as a clerk and later became the registrar. She worked at Home Study International faithfully for 21 years.

Eleanor knew there had been miracles in her life. When she was five she was healed of double pneumonia, and in 1959 she was miraculously healed from a cancerous tumor. She praised God for that.

After Eleanor’s death in 1994, Wilbur Bennett established the Eleanor Mabel Johnson Bennett Endowed Scholarship to assist biology majors who are preparing for careers in teaching.

The Allen Clapp Endowment Fund

Allen Clapp was dedicated to the investments of Columbia Union College. A 1949 alumnus, he was one of the original members of CUC’s Investment Committee, which oversees the investments of the Alumni Endowment Fund. Allen was an active member from the beginning, always making sure that the fund was earning the highest yield so that as many students as possible could benefit from alumni scholarships.

Devoting his career to public service, Allen worked in a regional office of the Veterans Administration from 1952 to 1958, serving as chief appraiser. From 1958 until 1966, he worked for the Baltimore Renewal and Housing Agency and became its property acquisition chief. He then headed the Baltimore office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1967 until 1974. After leaving the federal post, he became a private real estate appraiser, working from his home in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Because of Allen’s commitment to CUC and his unselfish devotion to the investments of the Endowment Fund, his family suggested that gifts in his memory be made to the Endowment Fund in his name.

The John Cannon Endowed Scholarship Fund

Born in 1908, John Cannon served his community as an educator of the soul as well as the mind. John was a pioneer in his field, being the first psychology major in Adventist Colleges. He provided support to Columbia Union College as chair of the psychology department for 10 years.

He also worked at the World Headquarters for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Education Department. After serving there, he returned to CUC and chaired the Education/Psychology department in 1976.

John’s dedication is shown by the Endowment Scholarship established in his name by his wife, Lois Neal. Students today continue to benefit from the Cannon Scholarship.

The Walter J. McComb Endowment

Dr. Walter McComb was a member of the CUC faculty from 1938 until 1966. McComb served the college in several capacities including chair of the history department, professor of history and political science, chair of the division of social sciences, acting dean of the college and registrar. Dr. McComb is remembered as a professor who insisted on high academic standards, practices fairness in the classroom and was extremely organized. He is also remembered for his “nickel” or five-point quizzes.

Whether he was completing his duties as chair of the department or teaching one of his favorite classes like American Government of American History, Dr. McComb impressed his students as a teacher who cared. A dedication in Golden Memories describes their feelings about him: “Dr. McComb is unpretentious in his action and speech. He may believe himself little known; but through his teaching, his counseling, and his daily living, he has injected into our lives something of that ‘human kindness’ which is found only in the true Christian.”

Dr. McComb gave many happy years of his life to CUC, and in his will he established an Endowment Scholarship Fund for worthy students. He expressed real joy at the prospect of this gift to CUC and since his death in 1980, students have benefited greatly from his generosity.