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 The Richey Family Scholarship
Fund: One Family’s Legacy
When Margaret and William A. Richey began building
their Cooper Farm home in 1950, they probably didn’t think of
themselves as pioneers. But they may have been demonstrating some of
the same pioneering spirit that drove William’s grandfather, William
J. Richey, to become a country doctor at the end of the nineteenth
century.
Although Margaret L. Richey now lives alone in the
home that she and her husband built over a period of five years, she
is surrounded by many family memories. She proudly displays a
collection of photos, newspaper articles, letters and other
documents that tell the history of three generations of the Richey
Family. It is this family, which included a doctor and two prominent
teachers, that served as the impetus for Mrs. Richey to establish
the Richey Family Scholarship Fund at the Delaware Community
Foundation.
William J. Richey was born in 1859, the seventh of
11 children of a prosperous farmer. He taught and worked as a
rancher before becoming a doctor in 1893. Dr. Richey initially used
a horse and buggy or horse and sleigh to call on his patients at all
hours and in all weather conditions. That changed in 1914, when he
bought his first automobile, a Model T Ford.
William J. Richey’s wife Grace was a teacher, as
were three of their children; the fourth died shortly after birth.
Their second son, Donald J. Richey, was born in 1895. He served as
the principal at Krebs Jr. High in the former Newport School
District from 1932 until his retirement in 1960. In 1964, the school
district requested Mr. Richey’s permission to name a new elementary
school in his honor - “as a tribute to the many long and devoted
years that you dedicated your life to the education of the children
in the Newport area.” Donald J. Richey Elementary School on Highland
Avenue was dedicated in a 1965 ceremony.
William A. Richey was the only son of Donald and
Laura Richey; his mother also was a teacher. He became a science
teacher at Warner Jr. High School in 1947 and continued in that
position for 32 years. During his teaching career, Mr. Richey was
active in the Wilmington, Delaware and National Education
Associations. Retirement gave him more time to enjoy reading and
watch sports on TV, and he became a regular pool-player at the
Mid-County Senior Center, often organizing tournaments in memory of
fellow players.
In 1992, the year both her husband and father-in-law
died, Margaret Richey was looking for a way to honor their devotion
to teaching, and to recognize the contribution to medicine made by
William J. Richey. She decided to help students who have the
potential, but lack the financial means, to pursue higher education
in teaching or medicine.
Mrs. Richey sought advice from William C. Thompson,
her financial planner at Raymond James & Associates. With his help,
Mrs. Richey created an estate plan that will provide her with a life
income and then fully fund the Richey Family Scholarship Fund at her
death. “I’m very pleased for both Margaret and the DCF,” said Mr.
Thompson. “This is a wonderful way to plan a gift that takes into
consideration the needs of the donor as well as the future needs of
the community.”
Mrs. Richey is happy that her bequest will carry out
her charitable intentions forever. The Richey Family Scholarship
Fund Scholarships will be given to deserving students from the
Brandywine Valley who agree to “go someplace to work where there’s a
real need,” she said. “I feel very comfortable with the arrangements
I’ve made at the DCF. I know that so many students need help with
their education and many communities don’t have the services they
need. What better way to honor the memory of my husband and his
family than with a fund that will guarantee teachers and doctors in
the areas that so desperately need them. I know this is what they
would have liked me to do with the money.”
Mrs. Richey jokes that she is the only member of the
family who is not a teacher – she worked in the Sears credit office
for many years. However, she, too, has shared her talents with the
community, particularly by singing in groups that perform at nursing
homes. Currently, she sings in the choir at St. Mark’s Methodist
Church. She is someone who “has to be busy,” and her knitting,
needlepoint, crocheting and gardening are evidence of that. In
recent years, she has explored new crafts during winters in Arizona.
Now, her house is filled with her wooden relief carvings, stained
glass, scratch art, pottery and stuffed animals.
The Delaware Community Foundation is very pleased to
play a role as steward of the Richey Family legacy. We applaud her
devotion to the betterment of the community as well as to the family
she loved.
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