Cindy Lepley: Donor Stories: Ways to Give to Thomas College

Changing Lives, During Life and Beyond: The Cindy Lepley Memorial Scholarship

Rev. Cindy Lepley’s fellow faculty members at Thomas College grew accustomed to the long lines of students at the end of the hallway on the second floor of the Ayotte Center, waiting for their turn in Rev. Lepley’s office. Some of them wanted to discuss assignments and course material, but many of them were there to seek her safe, trusted, and caring counsel.

“That gives you a sense of the kind of professor she was,” said Dr. Doug Lepley, Professor of English and Rev. Lepley’s husband. “It speaks a lot to the fact that she cared very deeply about her students. They understood that she cared, and they felt that they could approach her about anything, including their personal issues.”

In many instances, those conversations resulted in close relationships that lasted long beyond a student’s graduation. An ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, Rev. Lepley was frequently asked to officiate weddings for her former students. She considered the invitation a great honor and would collaborate with these students to design ceremonies that represented their personalities and values. She drew from her training at Bangor Theological Seminary, where she had graduated in 1986 with her Master of Divinity, as well as from her nine years of pastoral ministry at Winslow Congregational Church.

Throughout her life, Rev. Lepley enjoyed working closely with people, and her curiosity about human nature led her to specialize in psychology, earning a Certificate of Advanced Study in counseling from the University of Maine. Fortuitously, when her ministry position ended in 1995, Thomas College’s psychology professor, Ralph Stephenson, had just retired. By then, Rev. Lepley had taught a few classes at Thomas as an adjunct professor, and Stephenson’s retirement made way for then-President George Spann to hire Rev. Lepley for the open position.

“Really, Cindy was the one who developed Thomas’s psych program,” Dr. Lepley explained. “She understood George Spann’s vision for Thomas to become a more comprehensive college beyond its roots in business, and she got the program started.”

Rev. Lepley began her faculty career as Assistant Professor of Psychology before earning a promotion to Associate Professor. In addition, she served Thomas as the College Chaplain, offering prayers at various events and ceremonies and providing spiritual and emotional support to students. She not only taught classes on counseling, but she modeled the healthy practice of it.

“She took it very seriously that her students were going to go out and be counselors,” Dr. Lepley said. “She tried to prepare them with the best training that she could, and then she made contacts with mental health organizations to open doors and help students get jobs.”

Among Dr. Lepley’s fond memories of his wife are the opportunities they had to team-teach classes at Thomas. They both deeply cared for students, and Dr. Lepley enjoyed partnering with such a clear and thorough educator. Together, they taught classes on literature, sociology, and psychology. As Dr. Lepley would teach the students how to explore the texts from a literary perspective, Rev. Lepley would introduce them to the social theories and psychological frameworks at play in the books. They led students through popular titles like The Catcher in the Rye and The Prince of Tides, as well as more technical works like When Nietzche Wept.

Rev. Lepley remained dedicated to her students until the very end of her life. After a cancer diagnosis in 2012, Rev. Lepley continued to teach her classes for the seven years that followed, even as she received treatment and survived a stroke. In her last year, she made it through the spring semester and final exams, teaching her classes while using her wheelchair. She passed away on June 7, 2019, at the age of 72.

“When she passed, I had originally wanted to put something physical on campus to honor her, like a gazebo,” Dr. Lepley said. “When I started asking around about something like that, I learned that the Student Senate had already allocated money to fund a bench in her honor. That goes to show their sense of closeness to Cindy, too. They initiated and funded it all by themselves as students, and when I offered to help, they even refused a contribution from me.”

In addition to this thoughtful memorial by the students, Dr. Lepley wanted to find another way to honor his wife’s memory. That’s when then-President Laurie Lachance approached him with the idea of endowing a scholarship in Rev. Lepley’s honor, which would continue to generate financial support for Thomas students in perpetuity.

“That was an easy choice,” Dr. Lepley said.

“Cindy was always interested in students’ education. She was always interested in helping them grow. The scholarship would help to promote both their education and their growth.”

Thus, the Cindy and Doug Lepley Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in June 2020 with the aim of supporting students studying psychology, English, or a combination of the two. To be considered for the scholarship, students must achieve and maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher and demonstrate financial need.

“I put some money in the fund initially, and I contribute to it every year,” said Dr. Lepley. “The fund has grown, and I’m so proud to say that some of our best and brightest students have received this scholarship.”

Dr. Lepley shared his appreciation for the many colleagues and former students of Rev. Lepley’s who donated toward the establishment of the fund and who continue to donate to it whenever they’re able. He also noted the generosity of an anonymous donor who matched his contributions every year and helped the fund get off the ground. Each academic year, a student is selected to receive the scholarship, and Dr. Lepley is pleased with the knowledge that future generations will reap the benefits of a Thomas College education in honor of his beloved wife.

“By endowing a scholarship,” Dr. Lepley said, “you’re taking a young person and helping them develop their talents and prepare for a career that will support their lives. It sounds like boilerplate stuff, but it’s the truth.”

Interested in honoring a loved one?

Establishing a student scholarship at Thomas College helps empower future generations to pursue their dreams. Scholarships can be endowed to exist in perpetuity when they reach $25,000 within five years. Get in touch with the Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations to learn more.