James and Arleen Somerville

James K. Somerville, professor of history emeritus, taught history at Geneseo for 30 years. Upon his retirement, he and his spouse, Arlene, established the History Scholarship to encourage an outstanding history major to continue in the field. They also established the Chemistry Scholarship for an outstanding sophomore chemistry major, which stemmed from their friendship with members of the Geneseo chemistry department and from Arleen’s close ties with the chemistry department at the University of Rochester, where she was chemistry librarian and director of the science and engineering libraries. They also established a First Generation Scholarship for a first generation student to gain the benefit of a superior education because Arleen was the first in her family to attend college. It is their hope the scholarships ease the recipients’ financial needs as well as strengthen fond memories of their Geneseo experiences.