Donor Biography

The Florine Heaton Major family scholarship was started as a means to help students attending SUU that have circumstances similar to what Florine had when she enrolled at College of Southern Utah in 1957.

Florine had a life filled with many challenges including the death of her own mother when she was 16 yrs old. It was necessary for her to drop out of high school to help care for her six siblings, she being the oldest daughter. Eventually she graduated from Kanab High School at age 19. After she graduated she worked for a number of years at the Kanab Equitable store to help provide money for her family. She married Samuel Major in 1943 and soon afterward Samuel was shipped overseas as a tank commander to fight in Europe until the end of WWII.

Samuel graduated from the University of Utah medical school in 1949 and eventually set up his medical practice in Payson, Utah. In 1957 Samuel was killed in a car accident and Florine moved to Cedar City to attend CSU, later named SUU. At that time she was 41 years old with four children under the age of ten. She finished in 1961 second in her graduating class with a BS in elementary education and was helped with her education through scholarships from CSU.

Florine taught school for a number of years in Cedar City. She eventually obtained a Master's degree in library science and was a librarian for all of the elementary schools in Cedar City until she retired in 1982.

Florine had a rich life in many ways not measured in money but service to her siblings, the four children she raised and all that knew her.

Her family wanted to honor their Mother by establishing a scholarship in her name

Scholarship Criteria

Will be awarded to outstanding junior or senior students from the Department of Education who shows extraordinary promise as a teacher. The students should not be eligible for other financial aid.

Education & Human Development

Teacher Ed & Family Dvlpmnt

Varied Dollars/yr