ROCHESTER, NY – Future students of the Eastman School of Music will benefit from a scholarship fund established with a $2.8 million bequest from the estate of alumna Edna McLaughlin, a former music teacher for the Rochester City School District who had a life-long dedication to music education.
A native of Rochester, Miss McLaughlin graduated from East High School and studied piano at Eastman. While at Eastman, she was a classmate of the late Eileen Malone, principal harpist for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra for 43 years and professor of harp at the Eastman School for 59 years. After Miss McLaughlin’s graduation in 1928, she taught music at Franklin High School in the 1930s and ’40s, worked locally as an accompanist, and gave private lessons.
"This extraordinary gift will provide ongoing financial support to countless students in the years to come," said Bruce Van Hise, executive director for development. "It’s especially gratifying when a graduate remembers the School in this way."
Miss McLaughlin died April 24, 1993, in California, where she had been living for several years. Upon her death, the charitable remainder trust she established first provided for a relative, but Eastman was named the ultimate beneficiary. The Edna McLaughlin Scholarship Fund will provide approximately $150,000 in annual unrestricted scholarship support.
Established in 1921 by George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak Co., the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., has achieved international prominence including the top ranking in the U.S. News and World Report survey of the nation’s best graduate schools. Five Eastman-trained composers and three faculty members have been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for music, and the School’s graduates are members of all of America’s leading orchestras. Each year, the Eastman School presents more than 700 concerts by guest artists, faculty members and talented student ensembles.
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