RIT Scholars Reception program

The Hale family has a long history with RIT, and there are nine scholarships named for Hale family members. They are: Ezra R. Andrews, Betsy Lucelia Rider, Clara Louise Andrews, Kate Rider Andrews, Ezra R. Andrews, Betsy Lucelia Rider Andrews, Ezra Andrews Hale, and Esther Hale Gosnell Saunders. In 1991, a reception was held for the twenty-six students who were awarded Hale family scholarships.

In 1885, the Mechanics Institute of Rochester was established to educate individuals entering the technical and industrial fields. Ezra R. Andrews was a founding trustee of the Institute. In 1890, he sat on a committee to arrange the merger of the Mechanics Institute with the Rochester Athenaeum, another educational institution in the Rochester area. When the consolidation was finalized in 1891, Andrews became the first president of the Board of Directors for the Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute (RAMI), today known as the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Andrews married Betsy Lucelia Rider (1830-1902) of Vermont in 1860 with whom he had two daughters: Clara Louise and Kate Rider. His wife was also involved in RAMI, serving as the first president of the Domestic Science Department.

Clara Louise Andrews married William Barton Hale in 1891. She served as the president of the Institute's Women's Board and was a member of the Domestic Science Board. Her husband William served as Secretary of the Board of Directors. Her sister Kate Rider Andrews was a philanthropist and made a bequest to the Institute in memory of her parents, Ezra R. Andrews and Betsy Lucelia Rider Andrews.

Ezra Andrews Hale (Ezra and Betsy's grandson), was also a member of the Board of Trustees. His sister Esther Hale Gosnell Saunders served on the Institute's Domestic Science Board.