Retired teacher leaves legacy for science, math students

Retired teacher Madolyn (Nichols) Key, ’48, died in November 2013. Before her passing, she left quite an extraordinary legacy for future Heidelberg students who want to pursue STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields.

Key designated Heidelberg as a beneficiary of her estate, leaving the university a bequest of $660,000. With the bequest, the university has created the Madolyn Nichols Key Scholarship for upperclass science majors.

On Friday, Nov. 20, Linda L. Eakin, the executrix of Key’s estate and a longtime friend, attorney Bryan Rannigan, President Rob Huntington and VP Connie Harris officially inked the scholarship agreement.

Key retired from Tiffin City Schools after teaching math and chemistry for 35 years. She graduated from Heidelberg in 1948, earned a second bachelor’s degree from Kent State University and received her master’s degree from The Ohio State University in 1956.

According to the terms of the scholarship, Key “desired to share her love of math and chemistry by assisting future generations so that they, too, can enjoy a successful career” in those fields.