“One of my favorite teachers — unique in his ability to bring out the best in people.”
-former student of Don Tomlinson
There are times when the universe conspires to bring good news. Often it comes on the wings of a “better angel” like Don Tomlinson.
The month of April 2025 at The Scholarship Foundation was tough. We were struggling to develop contingency plans for all that could befall our students as a result of threats to FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), Pell Grants, and campus resources and services which were hastily slashed for being associated with “DEI.” We knew all that pain was headed our way, but we didn’t know a tornado was too.
On April 11, 2025 we posted to the board of directors two motions authorizing unrestricted and available funds to be awarded in additional scholarship support for continuing Scholarship Foundation students whose financial aid awards may be cut. The underlying plan set aside funds to sustain them until graduation. We knew closing the gaping gap for continuing students was our first priority, but it was excruciating to consider the number of new students we would be unable to fund as a result.
On April 16, 2025, we received a check for $427,497, an unrestricted gift from the estate of Donald Tomlinson. Six days later, our board voted unanimously to proceed with the contingency plan, bolstered considerably by Mr. Tomlinson’s quiet and momentous gift. Just like that, a better angel had come calling.
Born and raised in Texas (from which came his lankiness and “twang”), Donald Tomlinson died on October 15, 2023. He came to St. Louis to attend Washington University in 1953 and graduated with his bachelor’s in English. Don never moved away from the field of education or the St. Louis region. He taught language arts at Francis Howell High School until his retirement in 1991. For many years, he volunteered at Brain Injury Association’s summer camp. After retirement, he continued to bridge boundaries and connect people through literature and film.
“I had Mr. T as my speech teacher, 1969. He encouraged me when my friends and I started an ‘underground newspaper’ and was always supportive and fun with his students.”
Following the death of his best friend and lifelong companion Steve Bilane in 2022, Don moved into Allegro Senior Living. There he still found a way to teach, regularly volunteering in the memory care unit. Don organized a reading group among the residents and read aloud to those no longer able to read independently. When asked one day by Foundation staff about his favorite pieces to read, he said he always assigned his high school students Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage (1895) and “The Sculptor’s Funeral”, a Willa Cather short story published in 1905. Don smiled when sharing that those pieces were also relevant to the residents at Allegro; even those whose cognition was failing could appreciate the beauty of well-chosen words.
Exactly one month after the gift from Don Tomlinson arrived at the Foundation, a tornado hit St. Louis and took five lives, inflicted significant physical injury, and damaged or destroyed an estimated 5,000 homes. The most significant destruction is centered in Black communities already financially stressed and consequently uninsured. The families of 94 Scholarship Foundation students and recent graduates live in the path the tornado took through town.
It has now been one month to the day since the tornado struck and exactly two months since the check from Don Tomlinson’s estate brought hope and possibility amidst grave concern for the students of our region who are without the financial means to finance higher education. It is hard to imagine a tribute more fitting to the memory of Donald Tomlinson than the opportunity to support students who have suffered financial aid cuts, the trauma of a tornado, and the loss of their family homes.
With each award we can adjust and each student who we can help stay on track to graduation, we’ll offer a nod to Mr. Tomlinson and maybe even a reading list. At The Scholarship Foundation, our better angels are wise ones.
– Faith Sandler
