Submitted photo / Byron Roe PhotographyGail and Ron Wilkinson

A group of parents at Lava Ridge Elementary School in Bend has announced plans to donate more than $50,000 for a scholarship fund to honor Ron and Gail Wilkinson.

Ron Wilkinson is superintendent of Bend-La Pine Schools. His wife, Gail Wilkinson, is a first-grade teacher at Lava Ridge. Both plan to retire June 30 after 75 years combined working in public education.

Organizers say a scholarship will be awarded annually to a graduating senior who plans to pursue a career in education. They plan to award one $3,000 scholarship per year for at least 17 years and the Wilkinsons will lead the scholarship selection committee.

“We feel the world needs more Wilkinsons. We hope that by helping Bend-La Pine students pursue careers in education, we might encourage the kind of service Gail and Ron Wilkinson have given to our district and others for so many years,” Lorie Coiner, president of the Lava Ridge Parent Teacher Organization, said in a news release.

To donate to the fund send a check made out to Bend-La Pine Schools, care of Wilkinson Scholarship Fund, to 520 NW Wall St., Bend, OR, 97701.