Dr. Harry Keig always held a special place in his heart for his Meigs County hometown of Middleport – even when he lived nearly 1,000 miles away.
After becoming a successful physician and surgeon in the Omaha, Nebraska area, Dr. Keig still remembered the difference his earliest teachers had made in his life – none more significantly than Forrest Bachtel, a longtime teacher and coach at Middleport High School. Dr. Keig wanted to find a way to honor Coach Bachtel’s legacy in the community and to help future generations of students pursue their education.
When Dr. Keig passed away in 2003, he left a $500,000 gift in his will to start an endowment at the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio that would continue Coach Bachtel’s legacy of serving students by providing them scholarships.
The Forrest Bachtel Scholarship Fund – the very first scholarship fund at FAO – supports Meigs High School graduates who demonstrate academic and/or athletic excellence.
The first Bachtel Scholarships were awarded in 2004, and in its earliest days, the fund awarded four students a one-year scholarship of $2,500 each. But over time, the endowment has grown to allow multi-year scholarship awards. Now, four students receive a $7,500 award to be used for up to three years of postsecondary education.
From 2004-2024, 78 Meigs High School graduates were awarded a combined $425,000 in Bachtel Scholarships.
The goal is to see the scholarship awards grow to support four years of education – and thanks to Dr. Keig’s generosity and the power of endowment, the Forrest Bachtel Scholarship Fund is well on its way.