Emerson and JoAnne Matson Memorial Scholarship

This Scholarship is funded by donations made in the memory of Emerson Nels Matson and JoAnne Matson, long-serving members of the Franklin Pierce School Board.

Scholarship awards are made to graduating seniors of Franklin Pierce High School, Washington High School, and Gates High School.

• Must be a graduating senior with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher
• Must have excelled in written communication or creative writing
• Must show evidence of well-rounded participation in school and community activities

Each school’s scholarship committee will select the recipient. An alternate shall be selected annually from the same school and the scholarship shall be awarded to that individual if the primary award winner does not meet the requirements of the scholarship.

The Legacy of Emerson and JoAnne Matson

This scholarship was originally created in 1999 by JoAnne Matson in memory of her husband, Emerson Nels Matson.  Mr. Matson was a published writer of children’s books and Native American history, a distinguished member of the local media, and a former member of the Franklin Pierce School District Board of Directors (1964-67).  Mr. Matson’s last book, Legends of the Great Chiefs, is a collection of the favorite legends told to direct descendants by their famous ancestors.

JoAnne Matson was also School Board member for the Franklin Pierce School District having served the students and patrons of our community.  She maintained that position for an amazing 39 years!  During that long tenure Mrs. Matson experienced district growth, decline, and growth again; the opening of new schools, renovations, remodels and the closing of old ones; budget expansions and budget reductions.  Through it all, JoAnne handled herself with complete dignity, respect, and professionalism.  In her years with the School Board between 1967 and 2006 she worked with 5 different superintendents.  Also during her term, the FP School Board was nominated 4 times as the Washington State Board of the Year and selected as such in 1969, 1984, and 2004.

In 2010, Mrs. Matson was recognized by Franklin Pierce Schools officially naming their district offices the “JoAnne Matson Administrative Complex.”  To commemorate this event a large rock, symbolic of her steadfast dedication to the students, staff, and parents of Franklin Pierce Schools, is engraved with her name and sits in the center of the complex.  JoAnne was also an avid supporter of the Franklin Pierce Foundation.

Upon Mrs. Matson’s death in 2013, the Franklin Pierce Foundation renamed the scholarship in honor of both Emerson and JoAnne Matson.

• Receipt of a completed Scholarship Acceptance Form will hold this scholarship for the student. The scholarship can be held no longer than 16 months after June 30th of the year of graduation from high school.
• Upon receipt of Proof of Enrollment Form including a student ID number, funds will be released to the institution in the name of the student.