Index
Scholarships
The Christina Springer Roark Scholarship
The Christina Springer Roark Scholarship was established by Eric A. Karl, Class of 1978.
This Fund was established by Eric A. Karl, Class of 1978, in honor of Hamilton’s commitment to providing need-blind financial aid and to acknowledge the profound influence of his late maternal grandmother, Christina Roark (née Springer) GP ’75 ’78, on his life. Born in Homer, NY in 1902, she lost her father at an early age and was raised by a single mother. From the earliest years, she demonstrated a devout Methodist faith and prodigious musical talent, performing over the years as silent movie theater pianist, church organist at services and weddings, and at meetings of local business clubs. She was graduated from Cortland State (now SUNY Cortland) with a degree in early childhood education and taught elementary school.
A loyal annual donor and volunteer for decades, Eric was graduated Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude, and with Honors in Economics as a member of Hamilton’s last all-male class. He holds a Master’s degree from the University of Warwick (England). Over the next 20 years, he worked at large, multinational corporations and became a mergers & acquisitions and investment specialist. Subsequently, he served as a Chief Financial Officer for a series of private, high-growth companies that were eventually sold, usually to private equity investors.
With the creation of this Fund, Eric is delighted to support Hamilton students in perpetuity while honoring his grandmother’s memory.
Please note: The named scholarships profiled on these pages support the College’s generous need-based financial aid commitment. These donor-funded scholarships help ensure the Hamilton promise of keeping education affordable through meeting a student’s full demonstrated financial need.
