David L. and Carol M. Pearl Scholarship

David L. and Carol M. Pearl recognize the power of education and, in 2011, established the David L. and Carol M. Pearl Scholarship to assist students who aspire to teach in Worcester County, Maryland.

David is an alum of Salisbury University, which was known simply as State Teachers College back in 1952 when he graduated. Total enrollment at that time was less than 400 students. After completing his active duty obligation with the Coast Guard, David commenced his education career as an elementary school teacher in Harford County, Maryland. This was followed by junior high school assignments in Newark, Delaware while he pursued advanced degrees in Guidance Counseling and School Psychology. He transitioned from teaching to counseling in 1962, moving to the Mount Pleasant School District in Wilmington, DE. In 1974, he moved into school psychology, also for the Mount Pleasant district and worked in that capacity until he retired in 1991.

David and Carol were married in 1964 and lived in Wilmington, Delaware until 1976 when they moved 20 miles south to Odessa, where David currently resides; Carol passed away in July 2019.

The Pearl family has deep roots in Delmarva, particularly Worcester and Somerset Counties, where David spent much of his childhood. He has fond memories of the many people whose kindness and steadfast willingness to help him overcome the challenges he encountered during his formative years. These memories inspired him to create this scholarship—to pay forward the generosity that he received to enrich the educational prospects of hardworking students facing obstacles comparable to those he had to overcome as a young man growing up in the same general area.

Further reinforcing their support of future educators, David and Carol created an additional endowment, The Pearl Family Inspirational Scholarship. This gift is intended to support students who have persevered despite hardships in pursuing a teaching degree at Salisbury University.