Pittsburgh, Pa., July 22, 2002— The Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation (PGSF) has received a pledge of $100,000 from two long-time industry supporters, Jeff and Karen White of Naperville, Illinois. The gift, to be awarded as a legacy bequest, will establish an endowed scholarship fund in their name. Both Jeffrey and Karen come from families that were involved in the printing industry. Karen’s father worked as a lithographer in New York for 40 years. With a grandfather and uncle also involved in the business, Jeff developed a lifelong love of printing at an early age while working in his father’s printing business in Queens, New York. "We’re very proud to be a part of this industry, and we consider this an investment in the industry’s future," said the Whites. The return on their endowed fund will award an estimated $6,000 scholarship each year to a student who meets PGSF’s criteria. PGSF requires students to be a full-time undergraduate attending a two- or four-year accredited school. Students must also be interested in pursuing a career in the graphic communications industry and maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0. In addition to PGSF’s requirements, the Whites have restricted the scholarship to students who are married. "We were married during college and know how difficult it is to financially balance life and career goals. We want to specifically help bright students struggling to study in this field who might find themselves in this special situation," said Jeff. Jeff attended Rochester Institute of Technology and graduated in 1980 with a bachelor of science degree in printing management. He also attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and has a master of science degree from there in computer systems management. He worked for the first 12 years after graduation at The Travelers Companies in Hartford, Connecticut, in various roles in both the printing and information technology departments. In 1992, he left Connecticut and headed to California to work for Logic Associates as the West Coast sales manager. In 1997, he became managing director of Logic Covalent UK where he oversaw their International Operations. He currently has a dual role at Printcafe Software, Inc. as the regional sales director for the central U.S. and as director of sales operations for the International Groups. The Whites’ gift makes them the latest members of PGSF’s Gutenberg Society honoring gifts of $100,000 or more. PGSF has two other top-tiered levels of giving: the Print Heritage Society, honoring gifts of $25,000–$49,999 and the Senefelder Society, honoring gifts of $50,000–$99,999. Since launching an aggressive fund-raising campaign, The Campaign for the 21st Century, in November 1999, PGSF has received over $1.5 million in new pledges. "This is an outstanding commitment to the future of the industry," remarked Ted Ringman, vice president of development for PGSF. The Whites’ generosity and forethought will not only assist many students throughout the years, but help the industry by encouraging bright students to enter our industry. For information regarding tax-deductible contributions or establishing a scholarship through PGSF—the only national scholarship effort for the printing industry—please contact Ted Ringman, PGSF vice president of development, by phoning 800/910-GATF extension 314, or by directly emailing him at [email protected]. PGSF is a nonprofit organization. PGSF has recently completed selections for the 2002-2003 academic year. Applications for scholarships for the 2003-2004 academic year are due April 1, 2003. Interested students may download an application from GAIN or email [email protected]. For more information, contact Bernadine Eckert, PGSF program administrator, at 200 Deer Run Road, Sewickley, PA 15143-2600; telephone 412-741-6860, ext. 309; fax 412-741-2311.