Harvey and Frances White, of Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California, established the Helen Marsh White Scholarship Fund to benefit Parkersburg High School graduates. Mr. White named the fund in honor of his mother, Helen Marsh White. Mrs. White was born in Harrisville, West Virginia in July 1904 to the late Katherine Roberts Marsh and Harvey Marsh. Her father was an attorney and developer in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Mr. Marsh also served as a state senator and as the state road commissioner.

Along with her three sisters and one brother, Mrs. White graduated from Parkersburg High School. She then attended Marysville College in Marysville, Tennessee and a nursing school in Philadelphia.

Mrs. White worked in New York in radio and theater and other areas, and later returned to Parkersburg where she worked for many years as a reporter, columnist, and feature writer for the Parkersburg News. The history and the people of the Mid-Ohio Valley were a major focus of Mrs. White's writing. Her work at the Parkersburg News continued after she and her family moved to Belmont and later Lowell, Ohio.

Mrs. White collected antique dolls and even had an antique doll museum while residing in Belmont. Mrs. White had two children: Katherine White Grego and Harvey White. Mrs. White died in September 1983 in Lowell.

Like his mother, Harvey White graduated from Parkersburg High School. He attended West Virginia Wesleyan College and holds a B.A. in Economics and an Honorary Ph.D. in Humanities from Marshall University.

Mr. White is actively involved in his community and is engaged in a career in finance and management. He was the co-founder, President, and Director of QUALCOMM Inc., a company that developed, manufactured, and sold wireless communication products worldwide. He became Chairman and CEO of Leap Wireless International, Inc. in September 1998. Mr. White has served as a trustee of West Virginia Wesleyan College and San Francisco Theological Seminary and a Board member of a number of local community organizations.

Winners of Helen Marsh White Scholarships are chosen by a committee consisting of the principal and guidance staff of Parkersburg High School. To be eligible for the scholarship, a student must have attended at least three years at Parkersburg High School and be a resident of Wood County. The recipient must also be planning to attend an accredited four year college or university located and operating in the state of West Virginia (with the exception of West Virginia University or any branches associated with the school) or Marysville College in Marysville, Tennessee.