History and Mission
Herbert Faber and Ruth McGurk Faber established the Appalachian Fund in 1950. Mr.
Herbert Faber
Faber, a co-inventor of Formica, was impressed by the character and loyalty of the Appalachian employees that worked in his Cincinnati factory. With the fund he sought to improve the lives of these Appalachian workers and their families.
In 1987, the Appalachian Fund dissolved and transferred $5 million to Berea College to establish the Berea College Appalachian Fund. The Fund has since grown but remains dedicated to its original mission of improving the general education, health and physical well being of people living in the Appalachian Mountains and surrounding areas.
Former Officers & Trustees |
|
| Herbert A. and Ruth McGurk Faber | Cofounders, 1950 |
| Stuart L. Faber | President, 1956-1987 |
| Shirley Faber | Vice President, 1957-1987 |
| Raymond B. Drukker | Director and Trustee, 1955-1960 |
| Dow M. Drukker | Trustee, 1963-1966 |
| Dwight Blackburn, MD | Trustee, 1963-1980 |
| Dorothy Blackburn | Trustee, 1963-1980 |
| Norbert F. Stammer | Trustee, 1968-1989 |
| Mary P. Fox, MD | Trustee, 1980-1987 |
| Charles Harris, MD | Trustee, 1980-1987 |
| Julia Stammer | Director and Trustee, 1960-2002 |
To Make a Difference: The Story of the Appalachian Fund 1950-1990, by Tom Parrish was published by the Berea College Press in 1990. A limited number of copies are available through the Appalachian Fund office.
