Ruth Gillett is a teacher. At Andress High School, she was the teacher. Ruth taught the first day Andress opened its doors, and every day after for 39 years.

She could have been a principal or a counselor. The offers came and went. Ms. Gillett always turned down those administrative positions. “The most important job in the school system is teaching,” she always said. She challenged the conventional career path to remain true to her ideals. Just like her father, Idus Gillett.

Idus was the second generation of a family that pioneered and settled the Upper Valley near Canutillo. He was an organic farmer before “organic” was a buzzword in the supermarket. He did what he believed to be best, and he bestowed that ethic on his children.

So, when Ruth Gillett retired from Andress High, she did what she believed to be the best thing for her school. She established a scholarship for students at Andress. “Many of the top of the class were getting them, but not a lot of the middle students who needed access to education,” she observed.

Every year, Ruth Gillett returns to her old campus to meet with senior class members and to award them her scholarships. The money helps the students succeed—just like Ruth did every day in the classroom. “Some of my students have surpassed me in what they have achieved,” said Ms. Gillett. “Some are Harvard and MIT graduates. That is what you want.”

Ruth Gillett’s commitment to education is a Great Gift to El Paso. The Ruth E. Gillett Scholarship Fund of the El Paso Community Foundation is more than a gift: it is a long-term investment in our future.