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Darrell
and Debbie Biddlestone establish the first annual scholarship
in Memory of the late Ralph “Fred” Wright with the Senior Scribes
Scholarship Fund. The donation will go to a Darke County teen seeking a
college education in a communications related field. Left to right:
SSSF Director Marianne Clark, Debbie Biddlestone, Darrell Biddlestone,
SSSF President Al Bliss, Fred Wright’s widow Donna Kay Wright, SSSF
Director and County News Online editor Bob Robinson, SSSF
Director Phyllis Mong, and SSSF Treasurer Al Greiner.
Directors absent were Delbert Blickenstaff and Secretary Sally
Amspaugh. (Lyn Bliss photo)
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Biddlestone sets up annual “In Memoriam” Scholarship
DARKE COUNTY – Local businessman Darrell Biddlestone, and his wife
Debbie, awarded their first Annual “In Memoriam” Scholarship check to
the Senior Scribes Scholarship Fund recently. The annual scholarship
was established to honor Biddlestone’s mentor, the late Ralph “Fred”
Wright, who passed away in August 2006.
The “In Memoriam” donation will be specifically noted when the
Directors award it to a Darke County teen seeking an education in a
communications related field.
“He did so many things to support this community,” Biddlestone said.
“He was a mentor – not just to me – but to many businesses just getting
started.”
Biddlestone said Wright, who was a 25-year employee of Dayton Power
& Light, would always take the time to lay out exactly what needed
to happen and where to get the permits to get their businesses off the
ground.
“He helped me tremendously in taking care of the things I needed to get
done,” he added.
Wright’s widow, Donna “Kay,” said Fred was in charge of DP&L’s
commercial gas accounts, and echoed Biddlestone’s comments about
Wright’s devotion to the community and its local businesses.
She added that after retiring from DP&L, he worked 11 years at
Greenville Union Cemetery as its manager.
“The one thing he was really passionate about, though,” she added, “was
the Greenville VFW. He was its Commander… that was his big thing.”
Donna Kay volunteers 20 hours a week at Darke County Parks’ Shawnee
Prairie. She has “logged” over 14,000 hours since 1995.
In establishing the scholarship fund, Biddlestone said that he wanted
to honor Wright and noted that it was his turn to “give back” to the
community that had been so good to him.
The Biddlestones own Biddlestone Enterprises, which includes
Biddlestone Consignments in Greenville, Biddlestone Expediting (a
trucking company) and a number of rental properties.
The Senior Scribes Scholarship Fund is a 501(c)3 arm of the Darke
County Senior Scribes. Its purpose is to provide scholarship assistance
to Darke County high school graduates seeking a career in a
communications field. Fund Directors are: Al Bliss, President; Sally
Amsbaugh, Secretary; Al Greiner, Treasurer; and Directors Marianne
Clark, Delbert Blickenstaff, Phyllis Mong and Bob Robinson.
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