In the closing weeks of 2023, Big Sandy Public Schools received notice that they were the recipient of a generous donation on behalf of Dora Mahood. Dora, whose maiden name was Goecks, graduated from Big Sandy High School in 1947. She passed away October 10, 2023 at the age of 94.
Superintendent Dan Schrock explained that in late December, he was approached by Dustin Kulbeck who passed on a letter from Penny McLean, Dora's niece and the executor of the estate, informing him of the donation. "When I spoke to the executor of the estate, I called to thank her personally, she (Penny) said that she (Dora) had a tremendous sense of belonging here at Big Sandy as a Pioneer and that she never forgot it. She (Dora) was a big proponent of education." Penny went on to explain that her aunt's education meant a great deal to her and made a huge impact on her life. It set her up for success, and she got to be a part of something as opposed to just being another student. Dan remarked: "That really spoke to me. That someone has such a reverence for our school and their experience here."
The letter, explaining the designation of the donated funds to different programs, expounded further: "Dora loved going to school in Big Sandy and F.E. Miley was her favorite teacher. Education was very important to her. Music was a love of hers and when in school, she played the french horn in the band, taught twirling, and was the Drum Majorette. Her late husband Jack Mahood was a local farmer so she appreciated the priority agriculture has in Big Sandy and wanted to support future projects. She also loved books and reading and continuing to learn throughout her life. The Big Sandy Public Schools are an integral part of the community, and we hope this donation will help to enrich the lives of many."
The very generous gift was designated to different programs within the school. The letter explained:
"On behalf of my aunt Dora F Mahood, I am pleased to make a donation of $50,000.00 to the Big Sandy Public Schools to be divided as follows:
• $20,000.00 to the K-12 Music Department at the discretion of Tim Bond
• $15,000.00 to the Greenhouse Project at the discretion of Layne Taylor
• $10,000.00 to the Elementary and High School Libraries at the discretion of Stephanie Overbay
• $5,000.00 to be used by the Pioneer Parent Team to cover the Teacher's Wishlist
Dan expressed gratitude repeatedly for Dora Mahood's generosity and the impact it would have on the education of students in our community: "Needless to say, we're incredibly blessed and honored that a graduate of Big Sandy had such love for this place. Having been here almost two years now, I can see it. There are great people in this community that stand behind the school. This is an unexpected blessing and gift to us. We'll utilize it to the best of our ability and paying that forward to our students, which is probably the very same thing that Dora experienced when she came through Big Sandy back in '47. So it kind of comes full circle... We're in a position to honor that gift and to be appreciative of her heart for Big Sandy and the community that she grew up in. And we're just very, very fortunate and at the very least, I owe her family and her memory, my utmost respect and admiration for that gift. So we're very grateful."
