POLAND, Ohio -- Dr. Daniel N. Ebert and his wife, Ruth, have given the Poland Schools Foundation for Educational Excellence $25,000. The funds will be used in support of science education at Poland Seminary High School.
It is the largest single gift to the foundation in its 20-year history, according to Dennis LaRue, foundation president. While the Eberts have given the foundation the $25,000 in a lump sum, they instructed that it be disbursed in 10 annual installments of $2,500.
Ebert, elected twice to the Poland Board of Education -- he served from 1978 to 1986 and is a former president -- is a long-time veterinarian with an animal hospital on Southern Boulevard on the south side of Youngstown. His wife, Ruth, a nurse, has been at his side throughout his practice. "Ruth and my donation to the foundation is motivated by the education our four sons received while attending Poland schools," Ebert said.
Dean Ebert followed in his father's footsteps as a veterinarian; Stephen N. Ebert, on the faculty of the New Medical School at Central Florida University, heads its cardiovascular research department and its doctoral program in science. Daniel M. Ebert is a hand surgeon and nerve specialist, and Scott S. Ebert is the owner of two restaurants with sports themes, one in Sandusky, the other in Huron, Ohio, and the owner of Erie Oasis Alpaca Farm near Sandusky.
"We at the Poland Schools Foundation express our deepest appreciation to the Eberts for their selflessness, civic-mindedness and generosity," LaRue said. "We could not be more delighted at how they have recognized the role that Poland schools played. Poland teachers work with parents to inspire students to do their best and the Eberts' sons are representative of what Poland graduates achieve.
The Poland Schools Foundation for Educational Excellence is an academic booster club that has raised more than $265,000 during its existence to fund scholarships and various internal projects in the Poland school district. These projects range from new lighting for the high school auditorium to mini-grants for teachers in all five school buildings.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.