Gifts from the Howard Million estate to Illinois College and the Jacksonville Promise is opening up more opportunities for local students to go to college.
Illinois College and The Jacksonville Promise each recently received $850,000 thanks to the generosity of the Million family. With this additional gift, the estate of Howard and Vera Million has provided $2.3 million in support for scholarships at Illinois College.
The endowed scholarship is awarded annually to students entering Illinois College from high school in Greene, Morgan, or Scott counties.
Million was a distinguished farmer from the Roodhouse area for many years. He was the founder and president of the former Roodhouse Savings and Loan Association and a friend to Illinois College. I.C. Awarded Million an honorary bachelors degree in 2012. That same year, Million worked with the college in establishing the endowed scholarship for area students to get a college education, a luxury he was not able to afford.
Four Jacksonville students were recipients of the Million scholarship this school year.