Charlotte W. Newcombe Scholarship for Students with Disabilities

The Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation continues the legacy of Mrs. Newcombe, who was unable to attend college because of a visual impairment, by assisting students with disabilities in their quest for higher education. These awards support completion of degrees by students with disabilities who have documented financial need. To offset the extra expenses often incurred by students with disabilities, these scholarships can be applied to tuition and fees, or used to offset disability-related expenses that are beyond accommodation mandates or are not coverable by public disability agencies.

Charlotte W. Newcombe

Charlotte Wilson Newcombe was born March 28, 1890 in Philadelphia.

Although her older sister and younger brother were college graduates, Charlotte never attended college. Her vision was impaired from childhood and she could not read for long enough periods to make serious study possible.

Her father, Dr. Matthew James Wilson, was a physician and a public-spirited citizen who served several terms on Philadelphia's Board of Education. Before his death in 1931, Dr. Wilson secured a firm promise from his daughter that she would never sell any of the Smith Kline stock she would inherit. Her adherence to that promise over the next 48 years was rewarded by the remarkable growth of the drug company and of her fortune late in her life.

Charlotte Wilson was always committed to helping those around her from an early age. During World War I, she sold war bonds in her community and was active in the Red Cross, teaching women to knit socks, scarves and warm hats for soldiers. Mrs. Newcombe greatly valued higher education. During her lifetime, she sent the children of several friends to college, taking a vigorous interest in their progress. She married Fred Newcombe in 1952 and they lived in Germantown, Philadelphia.

In her will, she established the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation to continue her scholarship gifts. Her legacy continues under the stewardship of the Foundation's trustees. One of the founding trustees of The Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation was Millard E. Gladfelter, president of Temple University from 1959 to 1967.

Charlotte W. Newcombe
March 28, 1890 - July 17, 1979