Canadian University Press Releases/Newswire

Source: Malaspina University College
http://www.mala.ca/media/release.asp?ID=971

New Memorial Scholarships share parents' support for post-secondary education

October 12, 2006

Sydney and Thelma
Mansbridge encouraged all three of their children into post-secondary
education and on to successful careers. Now those children are sharing their
parents’ support with others, by endowing two memorial scholarships at
Malaspina University-College.

"We wanted something that was of value to mom and dad and a lasting
memorial. Supporting students into the future was a good way of achieving
that," said Darrel Mansbridge, director of student services at Malaspina.

The first Captain Sydney and Thelma Mansbridge Memorial Awards will be
presented next spring, awarding $1,000 each toward tuition for one male and
one female engineering student. The award is based on academic standing
obtained during the first year of academic study at Malaspina.

"Dad would have had a big smile on his face," Mansbridge said. "He was very
supportive of post-secondary education. The same with mom – she was also
very supportive."

The family decided to bestow scholarships in engineering because Captain
Sydney Mansbridge had been a military engineer for most of his career, after
entering the army as an underage recruit during World War II.

Sydney Mansbridge was so young when he enlisted that he was made a bugle boy
and kept behind the lines until he was considered old enough to go into
combat. Captain Mansbridge stayed in the military for 35 years, accepting
postings that moved him and his family across Canada. His final post was in
Nanaimo, as base commanding officer, where he decided to retire.

Because he had entered the military as a teenager, Captain Mansbridge
retired young and enjoyed more than 30 years’ retirement. Mansbridge
remembers his dad working on their home in Nanaimo. "He was an excellent
carpenter and could build anything."

His mother loved gardening and made their home a showpiece in the
neighbourhood. "She was a full-time mom and the ultimate mom," Mansbridge
said. "Her major motivation in life was to raise kids and have them be
successful, and she did a fine job of that."

When Sydney and Thelma Mansbridge passed away within a year of each other,
the siblings agreed they wanted to do something special to perpetually
honour their parents. Each contributed $20,000 to create the endowment fund
that finances the scholarships.

The scholarships are the first to be offered as part of Malaspina’s new
Bachelor of Science in Engineering transfer program, which allows students
to take the first two years of an engineering degree at the Nanaimo campus.
Recipients will receive $1,000 toward their second year tuition.

-30-

For more information contact: Toni O'Keeffe, Director of Communications &
Public Relations. Phone (250) 740-6341; FAX (250) 740-6474; E-mail
okeeffet@mala.bc.ca