The A.F. and Ethel Marple Scholarship was created through a bequest from Ethel Marple. Ethel Marple (maiden name Bell) was born in the early 1900s and grew up living on French Creek in Pleasants County. Before marrying her husband, Floyd, she taught school for a few years in a one-room country school. Ethel and her husband were active in the oil and gas industry in and round the St. Marys area for more than 60 years. Ethel enjoyed hunting, fishing, and traveling domestically.

According to her family, "Ethel's life began on the farm and it wasn't until sometime in the 1940's that she and Floyd moved into St. Marys - about two blocks from the high school. Ethel was very independent. After Floyd passed away, she continued to live by herself for more than 20 years until the age of 93. She was a joy to converse with as she had a sense of humor and a sharp mind."

Ethel had a love for numbers and believed that mathematics was a very important subject to understand and to be able to use. Ethel continued to do her own bookkeeping and accounting until she was into her nineties. She used to sit at her dining room table and work on her books for hours at a time. This scholarship, which honors Ethel and her husband Floyd, helps students who have that same love for mathematics to pursue their education in this subject. The fund provides support to graduating seniors from St. Marys High School who plan to pursue post-secondary education majoring or minoring in math or a math-related field.