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Ghostwalk Set To Aid Scholars

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By DIANA SHATINSKY

Special to the Tribune

Published: March 25, 2009

YBOR CITY - The GFWC Tampa Junior Woman's Club last week held its second annual Cigar City Ghostwalk on Friday to raise money for its TIGER scholarship.

The scholarship - TIGER stands for The Individual Growth in Education Recipient - helps provide continuing education for Tampa Bay area students. It is awarded based on an applicant's high school grades, merit, financial situation and an essay.

A club member who is a relative of Ralph Schiller set up the scholarship program. The relative wished to remain anonymous.

Schiller believed strongly in the value and benefits of a good education. When he was 9 years old, he and four siblings were sent to an orphanage. The children ultimately ran away and went to their grandparents' home.

Determined not to be a burden, Schiller had a paper route before school and worked as a grocery store bag boy after school. As his siblings grew, Schiller saw expenses mounting. At age 16, he dropped out of high school and joined the Army Air Corps.

In World War II, he served as a member of the Flying Tigers, which inspired the name of the scholarship. At age 44, Schiller enrolled in and completed high school. He earned a college degree in 1972. He believed an education was essential to making a good life for his wife and children.

This year's scholarship applications are being reviewed, and winners will receive checks at a ceremony May 20 at the Woman's Club Clubhouse.

For information on the GFWC Tampa Junior Woman's Club or to buy Ghostwalk tickets, please visit the organization's Web site at www .gfwctampajuniors.com.

Diana Shatinsky is a member of the GFWC Tampa Junior Woman's Club and a guest columnist for the South and Central Tampa News and Tribune.

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