Manalapan Family Creates Scholarship at College of William & Mary

Manalapan residents Lynn and Jeffrey Winter have announced the formation of the Ethan S. Winter Memorial Scholarship Fund to support undergraduate biology research at The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.

The scholarship was created in memory of their son Ethan, who graduated Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa from William and Mary with a double major in Biology and Chemistry. At the time of his passing in October 2016, at age 24, Ethan was pursuing his Ph.D. in Chemical Biology at Harvard University.

After graduating from William and Mary and while attending Harvard, Ethan donated to students at William and Mary to help cover their research costs. The Winter family has established this scholarship fund to continue his efforts. Money raised will be awarded to undergraduate Biology students selected by the faculty at William and Mary, to be used for research supplies, conference registration costs and summer research.

“Ethan’s passion for the sciences was undeniable,” said his father Jeffrey. “In life, he paid it forward by donating to his fellow students at William and Mary to help cover research costs. Through the generosity of donors, we hope that this fund will help every student it touches reach their academic goals.”

The fund is a federal tax exempt 501(c)(3) charity. Donations are tax deductible under section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code. There are no fundraising costs; 100% of all gifts will be used to support student research. A copy of the IRS determination letter will be sent upon request.

Ethan, who grew up in Manalapan, graduated from Biotechnology High School in Freehold Township with an International Baccalaureate Diploma. While in high school, he was a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honors Society. He also participated in the Boy Scouts of America, eventually becoming an Eagle Scout.

As an undergraduate at William and Mary, he was invited to perform research at the University of Warwick, Coventry, UK, and was the lead researcher for a study conducted by Dr. Diane C. Shakes at William and Mary that was published in “The Company of Biologists.” He was also recognized by and accepted into The American Chemical Society.

Donations to the fund can be made by check or online. Please make checks payable to the Ethan S. Winter Memorial Scholarship Fund and mail to: 10 Canvasback Road, Manalapan, N.J. 07726 or visit https://squareup.com/store/EthanWinterFund to donate online.

To contact the fund, please send an email to EthanWinterFund@gmail.com.