Photo courtesy of the Village of Marble Cliff
Recognizing the accomplishments of the Village and its residents was a hallmark of the late Mayor Paul J. Falco. Having served as Marble Cliff mayor for 36 years (1960-1996), Falco was especially proud of the talented youth of the Village and how well they represented the Village in academics and community involvement.
To acknowledge the success of Village youth, Falco demonstrated his commitment to the young people of his Village by establishing a scholarship fund in his name to assist graduating high school seniors with the costs of higher education. He was intent on paying it forward to help ensure the success of the Village’s next generation in their chosen endeavors.
Falco and his wife, the late Bobbie Hall Falco, established the scholarship program in the late 1990s as a lasting tribute to both Mayor Falco and the youth of the Village. The Marble Cliff students receiving 2018 scholarships include Jonah Bode, Luke Sterneker and Matthew York. This year marks the 20th year that qualified students have received Falco scholarships.
The Paul J. Falco Scholarship Committee annually awards scholarships to resident students who demonstrate outstanding scholastic and leadership qualities. To be eligible, a student must be a resident of the Village of Marble Cliff for at least one year and a graduating high school senior with a GPA of 3.0 or better. The awarding of a scholarship is based on the applicant’s scholastic achievements, character, extra-curricular activities, and service to school and community.
Over the past 20 years, the scholarship committee has awarded over $100,000 to Village youth. Recipients from the first year of awards (1998) are now adults and have found success in a variety of fields, including a musician with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra, a local business owner and a teacher in the Grandview Heights City School District which has been the home school district for most of the scholarship recipients. These are just a few examples of successes that the scholarship has helped support.
Falco would be pleased to have such outstanding ambassadors representing the Village he called home for 46 years. Falco served the community for most of those years as a council member, council president and then long-term mayor. During his tenure of public service, Falco was instrumental in encouraging business growth in the Village, building a Village hall and spearheading beautification projects that heightened the appeal of the small Village as a place sought out for homes and businesses.
Current Mayor Kent Studebaker remembers Paul Falco as the mayor when he first joined Village Council.
“Paul was a fixture in the Village for so many years. He was the greatest cheerleader for this small municipality and was a driving force in helping make it what it is today. The Paul J. Falco Scholarship is one of the benefits offered (to) residents that I am most proud of being able to provide. The Falco Scholarship not only recognizes student talent, but also memorializes a person who loomed so large in the Village and its history.”
