MARSHALL — A local teacher and writer’s legacy will include support for education in Marshall schools. Last week, family members of James T. “Ted” Rowe presented the Pride in the Tiger Foundation with a gift from Rowe’s estate.

The $188,000 gift will be split between an already established scholarship endowment, and an endowment contribution fund to support math initiatives in Marshall schools.

Rowe died in June at the age of 86. Rowe was a longtime math educator in Marshall, as well as being active in the community, and a local newspaper columnist.

Rowe’s stepson Bill Paterson came to Marshall to present the $188,000 gift to the Pride in the Tiger Foundation.

“Ted taught math for 33 years at Southwest Minnesota State University,and my mom was a teacher in Marshall. They both had such a passion for education, so this gift just exemplifies who they were as people,” Paterson said.

Rowe came to southwest Minnesota in 1969, when he was recruited to teach at what is now Southwest Minnesota State University. He spent the next 33 years teaching math and other related subjects. During his time with the university, he also served as faculty president, chairman of the Math and Computer Science Department, assistant vice president for Academic Affairs, and interim vice president for Academic Affairs.

Rowe was also an active community member. He started the Marshall Sunrise Rotary Club, and served on the Marshall City Council and the Marshall Utilities Commission. He had two different local newspaper columns — the first was a bridge column called “Holding Hands with Ted Rowe.” When interest in playing bridge started to wane, Rowe started writing his general interest column, “Oh Fiddlesticks!”

The Pride in the Tiger Foundation said Rowe’s legacy includes a high school scholarship with a math emphasis at Marshall High School. There are memorial scholarships for both Rowe and his wife Aileen.

“The Pride in the Tiger Foundation is so grateful for Ted and Aileen’s commitment to Marshall. This generous gift will make a lasting impact supporting our math educators in the classroom and students who wish to pursue math related degrees beyond high school,” said PITF Executive Director Krista Bjella. “The stories behind these gifts are always so rewarding to hear, and Ted and Aileen’s story certainly demonstrates how much passion they had for education.”