Scholarship established in honor of two Valley natives

Mar. 1—MANDATA — A scholarship honoring a couple who attended schools that were consolidated into Line Mountain School District has been set up to benefit students.

At Tuesday night's public meeting, the school board established a selection committee for the Lamar W. and Lena S. Ressler Scholarship Fund consisting of High School Principal Dwain Messersmith, Board President Troy Laundenslager, high school guidance counselor Amy Zartman and board members Linda Gutkowski and Lauren Hackenburg. The vote to establish the committee was unanimous.

"We had a very generous scholarship set up by the estate of Lamar W. Ressler who recently passed away," said business manager Kaitlin Rosselli. "The district does not really have anything to do with the scholarship, except for the fact that the estate requires a selection committee be established to choose the recipient(s) of the scholarship each year. The funds then go directly from the investment company that is handling the estate to the student's higher education facility of choice."

The total scholarship fund was not disclosed publicly by the school district or the family. It does not have a set award amount each year, it will be determined by the investment's annual income and a maximum of 10 recipients will be awarded the funds each year, said Rosselli.

Geraldine Wiest, the sister of Lamar Ressler and executrix of his estate, said the Resslers set up the scholarship in their will. They wanted to help students, she said.

"They have close ties to that area," said Wiest, of Halifax. "It was our home. We consider that our hometown."

Lena Ressler, a native of Upper Mahanoy Township, Dornsife, was 94 at the time of her death on Dec. 10, 2018, in Halifax. She was a graduate of the former Lower Mahanoy Township High School in 1941.

Lamar Ressler, a Leck Kill native, was 97 at the time of his death on Dec. 4, 2022, in Mechanicsburg. He was a graduate of the former Pine Park High School in Leck Kill in 1943.

Both Leck Kill and Lower Mahaonoy are now part of the Line Mountain School District.

Lena was a 1942 graduate of Central PA Business College, Harrisburg. She was employed at Pa. National Insurance Co. for 45 years. She was a long-time member of the Order of Amaranth and the Order of the Eastern Star, according to his obituary.

Lamar Ressler served in the U.S. Army in World War II from 1943 to 1946. Lamar was an avid worker throughout his life, employed first by Sears Roebuck Co. & Affiliated for 44 years from 1947-1991, followed by part-time employment with the Keystone Manheim Auto Auction, a position he held until age 88, according to his obituary.

Lamar was actively involved in several community and volunteer organizations, including the Harrisburg Consistory, the Susquehanna Lodge No. 364 F&AM, Millersburg, the Millersburg Forest No.125- Tall Cedars the Alvin E. Long American Legion Post No. 504, the Lower Northumberland County Senior Action Center in Herndon, the Millersburg Senior Citizen Center, the Fisherville Volunteer Fire Company, the Halifax Ambulance Rescue Association, and the Community LifeTeam Medic 6 of Elizabethville, according to his obituary.

Lamar is also the brother of Glenn Ressler, a 1961 graduate of Mahanoy Joint High School and 2001 inductee of the College Football Hall of Fame. The district in 2012 named the football field after Glenn Ressler, who played 10 seasons with the Baltimore Colts and legendary quarterback Johnny Unitas, including the 1969 Super Bowl V team that beat the Dallas Cowboys.

Line Mountain Superintendent Dave Campbell said he unfortunately never knew the "hard-working and dedicated" Lamar Ressler.

"All I hear about him is that he was a man of character and ethics," said Campbell.