Background

Kitty Berube was born in Portland, Oregon, on January 6, 1937. She was the first of three daughters of Lehman B. and Dorothy (Tilzey) Fox. Kitty's parents were from Montana and returned there when Kitty was about four years old. She was raised mostly in Helena, but also spent several years in Missoula.

Kitty graduated from Montana State University in Missoula with a B.A. in Elementary Education. After teaching a year in Portland, she moved to a teaching position in Great Falls, where she met Daniel Berube, a pilot in the US Air Force. They were married in Helena in June 1962, when Kitty was 25 years old and they lived in Great Falls until Dan completed his tour of duty. Kitty moved with her husband to Seattle, Washington where Dan could work and attend the University of Washington. Kitty’s first child was born in March 1963, two months after they arrived in Seattle. In the fall of that year, she taught in the Renton, Washington school district so that her husband could finish college without having to support the family. Dan always credited this sacrifice Kitty made as a young mother with being an essential step in his achieving a successful engineering and management career. In 1964, just after the birth of Kitty’s second child, the family moved back to her beloved Montana where Dan went to work for the Montana Power Company in Butte. 

Over the next few years the family moved several times as Dan was given various assignments with Montana Power. Kitty worked only from time to time during the next 25 years because she valued her time with her children, but her desire to be teaching kept her returning to the classroom. She held both regular and substitute positions in the Butte and Colstrip, Montana school systems. She also did occasional volunteer work with students who needed tutoring in basic subjects. She took great joy in teaching the younger elementary school children and everywhere she worked she earned a reputation as a very caring and fully professional teacher. Her third child was born in October of 1968. Kitty passed away from cancer in May 1989 at the age of 52. 

The scholarship established in her name by her family is intended to help young women who might be as motivated to teach elementary age children as she was.

Criteria

Required Criteria

The following are required criteria for this scholarship. Applicants must:

• be a graduating senior from Butte High School or Butte Central High School.
• be a female student pursuing a degree in elementary or secondary teaching education.
• be enrolled, per the requirements of this scholarship, at an accredited postsecondary institution by the start of the first term of the awarded period.

Selection is based on the following factors: scholastic achievement, participation in school, community and/or church activities, and long-term goals and objectives in the teaching profession.

Reapplication

Previous recipients are NOT allowed to apply again.

Awards

This scholarship typically provides the following each academic year.

Award Type

One-Time

Amount per Award

Typically $500 to $1,000 per academic year.

# of Awards

Typically 1 to 2 recipients each year.

Applying

Application Access Code

26KBTE

Use this Access Code to apply directly for this scholarship within the MCF Scholarship Portal.

Materials Needed

The following materials are required for submission with an application.

• Most Recent Transcript (High School)
• Letter(s) of Recommendation