A woman who spent 29 years as a teacher and counselor at the city high school has left $1.3 million to the school district.
Edna Diehl left the money when she died at age 88 in July. The Davison Educational Foundation will hold the money in trust with the interest to be used to fund scholarships.
The district expects the interest will generate about $60,000 a year, paying for two years’ worth of college for five students every year, said Kevin Leffler, a school board member and foundation president.
Diehl and her husband, Ben, who died in 1997, had no children, said former colleague Pat McGlashen.
Diehl was known as a serious, sometimes even strict teacher at Davison High School. Past students said she cared deeply and wanted them to succeed in life.
“She was pretty serious most of the time. But she could also be fun outside of school,” Connie Olejniczak, her student during the mid-1960s, told The Flint Journal for a Saturday story.
Diehl was known for her ability to raise money for student trips, colleagues said. “I remember her having to count money all the time,” said Dick DeLoge, a retired teacher who worked with her for about five years.
Davison is 50 miles north of Detroit.