Note: This message was originally sent on January 15, 2019
Colleagues: I am honored to share with you about the Joseph C. Metcalfe Memorial Scholarship – his story is captured by his family below. To get an additional boost of inspiration this Tuesday morning, you might enjoy reading about one of the recipients of the Metcalfe scholarship here: MacDaniel Graff
Joseph C. Metcalfe Memorial Scholarship
- Established 1984
- 32 unique, individual students awarded
- 70 awards
Joe Metcalfe was a tall, handsome, black-haired Irishman who would plot relentlessly to put people around him at ease, make them laugh, and generally feel good about themselves. It turned out to be his lot in life, and he seldom, if ever, failed. His bait was his wheelchair. It was a genuine sympathy-getter to everyone except Joe, who accepted it as his only means of transportation and participating physically in life. Even though his body had severe limits, his spirit and curiosity were endless. Endless, too, was the time Joe had on his hands since learning in high school that he was dying, slowly, of a strange hereditary disease known as atypical Friedreich’s ataxia. It caused his body to age at many times the speed of his chronological age. At 10, for example, Joe’s parents were told he had the inner workings of a 70-year-old, with a bad heart and spina bifida. The family lived in a house just one block from Gonzaga and Joe was good friends with the McGinn boys, Dick, Jerry, and Joe. When it came time to enroll at Gonzaga, they did not leave Joe behind - they took him with them. Joe was allowed to attend classes free of charge. He became part of the campus fabric, attending any and all events. Along the way, he gained the moniker “The King of Boone Avenue.” Usually, his hours were spent exchanging greetings with passersby as he held court on his front porch. After he passed away at the age of 36, the Joseph C. Metcalfe Scholarship was established in 1984 by family and friends. This scholarship symbolizes and respects the wishes of students with disabilities who choose to pursue an education at Gonzaga University and encourages these students to develop their talents and personalities. The family legacy with Gonzaga lives on. Joe’s sister, Mary Anne (’73), met her husband, Jim King (’68, ’78 JD), at Gonzaga, and they have a child, Sean, who graduated in 2010.