MUNCIE, Ind. – A $2.1 million gift from a former Indiana public school teacher to an existing loan program will make higher education accessible for students at Ball State University.

The gift is from the estate of Esther Aldredge, a 1934 Ball State graduate, who died in 1998. She established the Esther (Rinker) Aldredge Student Loan Fund in 1990.

The fund provides no-interest loans to undergraduate students. Preference is given to students from the Indiana counties of St. Joseph, Miami and Howard.

Alice Prettyman, vice president for planned giving, said Aldredge developed a strong commitment for assisting students based on her college experiences during the Great Depression.

"She remembered what it was like to go to college during the Great Depression and how money was not available," Prettyman said. "She wanted to make that funding readily available so that students could finish their undergraduate degrees.

"Mrs. Aldredge was a wonderful person and very full of life," she said. "We met on many occasions, taking tours of Peru, where she grew up."

Aldredge was born Oct. 20, 1901, and graduated from Ball State Teachers College. She spent most of her professional teaching career in the South Bend public school system. She also taught at St. Mary's College in South Bend.

She later married William J. Aldredge, who preceded her in death. She maintained residences in Sarasota, Fla. and Peru.

The recent gift is one of thousands to be made to Above and Beyond: The Campaign to Advance Ball State University. The campaign's total is at $104.8 million.

By Marc Ransford, Communications Manager

(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, contact Prettyman at (765) 285-8312.)