The Allegany County Area Foundation is pleased to announce
the addition of the Leslie Newland Thomas Memorial Scholarship Endowment
Fund. This fund becomes one of 34
scholarship funds managed by the Allegany County Area Foundation Dollars for
Scholars Program.
The Leslie Newland Thomas Memorial Scholarship has been
established by the family and friends of Leslie Newland Thomas who passed away
in 2006. This scholarship fund will
benefit students who attend Wellsville High School. Preference will be given to those who are
pursuing a degree in Music Education and/or Teaching; have a commitment to the
community and helping those in need through volunteerism; and those who are
involved in music activities within their school and/or community.
Leslie Newland Thomas was born in 1962 in Rochester, New
York; but grew up in Wellsville, New York.
Leslie attended Wellsville Central School, graduating in 1981. She played bass in the Wellsville High School
orchestra and her love of music became firmly grounded within those walls. She attended college in Potsdam, then
graduated from Bowie State College.
Leslie began teaching at Thomas G Pullen School for the
Creative Arts Maryland, inheriting a strings program that had five teachers in
10 years. During her tenure there, she
elevated its profile and student participation in the strings program and added
a second orchestra. She inspired
hundreds of Prince George’s County students into a love of classical music. Under Leslie’s direction, Pullen’s young
musicians regularly took top awards at local, state and regional music
competitions. In addition to her
teaching, she volunteered for many organizations and was on a board at the
Kennedy Center in Washington DC.
Leslie loved music, reading, gardening and spending time
with her family including her husband Brian and two daughters, Cassidy and
Jamie. She was talented, creative, and
had a wonderful sense of humor. She had
a great passion for her work and family.
If you would like to support this fund, please visit www.alleganycountyareafoundation.org
to make a donation. If you would like
more information on how you can create a scholarship fund or a community grant
fund to honor a loved one, please contact the Allegany County Area Foundation
at 585-808-8444 or send an e-mail to: director@alleganycountyareafoundation.org.
