Jose and Rosy Morell Scholarship

Eligibility: All
Area of Interest: General

Criteria:

The recipient must be a Chadron State College student or incoming freshman, who qualifies for financial assistance. In the event no student or incoming freshman applies, the scholarship may be awarded to any CSC student who qualifies for financial assistance.

Jose and Rosy Morell were Cuban exiles who came to CSC in 1964 and left when Jose retired as associate professor in 1973. Jose taught Spanish, Latin American History and Literature, Social Studies and Introduction to Law. His wife Rosy was very active in the Chadron community, having served as president of the Chadron Woman's Club and having been involved on campus as a faculty wife. She also supported Jose's work by helping to sponsor the Spanish Club. Of great benefit to CSC was Jose's experience as a former justice of the Cuban Supreme Court, Secretary of Labor and president of the Sugar Workers' Retirement Fund. In Cuba, he held those and other public service positions with great courage and honor and his career spanned many years, encompassing some of his country's most turbulent times. After his retirement from CSC, he returned to the exile community, where he was recognized as the provisional president of Cuba in exile pursuant to the Cuban Constitution of 1940, which provided that the most senior judge of the Supreme Court would serve as interim president in case of inability of the president, vice president, etc. to serve. In this capacity, from Florida, he and others in his coalition to restore the Cuban constitution communicated with dissidents in Cuba, supporting their efforts to change the system in which they were living. During their time in Chadron, they were devoted to the students and many stated afterwards that he had a profound impact on their lives. Jose died in 2002 and Rosy died in 2011.