A former Indiana man has established a scholarship at IUP in honor of two local couples.
Michael Mark Scanlan, of Rumson, N.J., has created the John J. and Mary Louise Scanlan and Dr. James B. and Madelyn Reilly Scholarship for Hospitality Management.
The scholarship will provide support for Hospitality Management majors who are sophomores, juniors, or seniors.
“The Reillys had a tremendous amount of respect for the value and power of education and would help any student that came along to pursue their dreams,” Scanlan said. “In their many years at IUP, they helped countless students, many of whom—long after graduation, families, and moves—have written, called, or stopped by to say thank you. This is my chance to say ‘thank you' to both the Reillys and to my parents in a way that will impact students for many years to come.”
The late John and Mary Louise Scanlan were Michael Scanlan's parents. Both James and Madelyn Reilly worked at IUP.
About John and Mary Louise Scanlan
John Scanlan, originally of Scranton, began his Aramark career in 1962 as food service director at IUP and was named district manager for Aramark's campus dining division in 1965. He also served as general manager for Aramark at Xerox Training Center in Leesburg, Va., and district manager for Aramark's business dining division. In 1981, Scanlan was named vice president, special events, for Aramark Leisure Services.
During his tenure at Aramark, Scanlan directed food services at the Olympic Games seven times and at several other international competitions, including the Bolivarian Games, Pan-American Games, Goodwill Games, and Asian Games.
His work at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta confirmed his status as a master in managing food services for world class sporting events.
He also assisted in planning for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney prior to his death.
Mary Louise Pugh Scanlan also was a native of Scranton. After graduating from Misericordia College in 1952, she taught at Robert Morris Elementary School in Scranton before marrying in 1955.
The couple moved to Haddonfield, N.J., in 1976. A philanthropist and volunteer in southern New Jersey, she was dedicated to the revitalization of Camden, N.J., through the Heart of Camden, a nonprofit group that worked to improve the Waterfront South neighborhood. In the 1980s and 1990s, she volunteered many hours to the Helping Hand organization, which provides transportation and other services to senior citizens.
About James and Madelyn Reilly
Dr. James B. Reilly, who died in 2009, earned his undergraduate degree from Waynesburg College and his M.A. and Ph.D. from West Virginia University. He began his lifelong teaching career in Uniontown as a principal at North Union Township and subsequently became a professor at IUP in the Professional Studies in Education Department, where he was known as an expert on school law. After twenty years at IUP, he retired with emeritus honors.
During his tenure at IUP, he lectured both locally and internationally, especially on school law issues. He was a member of Phi Delta Kappa Honorary Education Society, APSCUF, and other Pennsylvania and national academic groups.
Madelyn C. Reilly began her career as an office manager with United States Steel at Robena Mine in southwestern Pennsylvania. The couple later moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked at the United States Steel corporate headquarters, before heading to Uniontown.
They moved to Indiana in 1968. In addition to raising seven children, Madelyn Reilly began a full-time career at IUP that eventually spanned more than seventeen years with the Student Cooperative Association and the graduate school. She also obtained her Pennsylvania Realtors license.
“I had many great years at IUP,” Madelyn Reilly said.
“Both of our parents always had a deep affection for IUP. For our mother, education was a passion. She helped countless students get into and stay in school no matter what it took, even typing term papers in the middle of the night,” daughter Maureen Reilly Bash said.
“She is proud of her years at IUP and has warm and lasting memories of those years. The entire Reilly family offers our sincerest gratitude to IUP and especially to Mark Scanlan for so graciously and generously honoring our parents.”