Ruth Campbell Callbeck Memorial Scholarship

The Ruth Campbell Callbeck Memorial Scholarship is granted to a student who is entering the University of Prince Edward Island and is normally resident on PEI. Preference will be given to a member of the Women's Panther Hockey Team. If there are no qualifying candidates, the scholarship can be granted to a returning student with the same criteria. This scholarship honors Ruth Campbell Callbeck, described by her son William Callbeck as a pillar in her family, her community and in their family-owned business. Ruth was also a leader, being one of the first women on P.E.I. to play professional hockey with the Crystal Sisters. The team was driven by a small group of talented athletes whose persistence established the sport at a competitive level. Ruth taught school, first in a one-room school house in Bedeque at the age of 16, then in Summerside at Parkside School. She married Ralph Callbeck and took an active role in the family business in Central Bedeque. Ruth was an astute businesswoman and an active member of her community, involved in a number of community groups including the Women's Institute. The family she and Ralph built included William, who ran the family business for many years, and Catherine, who was the first women ever elected premier in Canada and held a seat in the Senate of Canada for many years. Ruth Campbell Callbeck passed away at the age of 93 on June 19, 2001. This scholarship has been created by her family to honour the contributions she made to her family, their business, her community, the teaching profession, and competitive sport.