Peachey wraps up 34 years with foundation

“Tom has had a great deal to do with that,” Evans said.

Peachey told the board “every once in awhile you’re given an opportunity to do something.”

The foundation has given millions of dollars in scholarships over the decades, Peachey said, and the success of the foundation was due to the generosity of the community. He said one individual would be causing the fund to double in the next 10 or 20 years.

He said if you watch the news, “you think you’re losing a generation and you get these scholarship applications every year from, just, stars. And it’s just a thrill, it’s so impactful to be able to do that.”

The foundation gave $172,000 to seniors in the class of 2019.

“Personally, I’ve given my own scholarship now for probably 10 or 15 years because I couldn’t stand up there giving scholarships away without maybe pitching in a little bit of my own. My own estate planning is none of your business, but it includes money for school children of The Dalles,” Peachey said. “And what you get from that is the opportunity to look at this remarkable group of students” who apply for scholarships.

He credited not only the community with the success of the foundation, but also the “excellence of the teachers. I am a 40-year resident of this community, I have had two children go through the entire process here and graduate from here with just excellent teaching, and they’ve gone on to great success in large part because of the support they got from this school district and this organization,” he said of the scholarship foundation.

He also credited the district superintendent, Candy Armstrong, and the district administrators and the school board. “The school board has been a large part of supporting the administration and supporting the teachers, and as a result, supporting the students.”

The bylaws of the foundation require a member of the legal community to be on the foundation, and Peachey will be replaced by Andrew Myers, who is in Peachey’s legal practice.

Peachey said Myers is community-minded, and serves as a coach and is president of The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce. “I couldn’t think of anybody more qualified to take my place than Andrew.”

He then quipped that Myers had also promised to serve on the board for 34 years.

Myers said, “I’m really looking forward to the opportunity. I absolutely value being interactive in the community, and I think this is a great opportunity.”