Aug 6, 2014

Grover Salsbury, a man dedicated to the community, family and friends, had one focus in the last year of his life – endowing the College of the Mainland scholarship to honor his late wife of 50 years, Ada Faye.  

“It was Ada Faye and Grover. They always did everything together,” said Senior Adult Program director Alesha Aulds. “Since Ada Faye’s passing last summer, I’ve probably seen Grover almost daily. He made it his mission in life to get the scholarship endowed.”
 
The scholarship was initiated by the Senior Adult Advisory Council, on which Grover and Ada Faye Salsbury served. After she died, the council named it in her honor.
 
Grover Salsbury set a goal of reaching $20,000, the amount required to endow the scholarship in perpetuity.
 
“He and Marge Dale went out in their red shirts everyday,” remembered Aulds. “They would take a road and stop at every business on that street. He poured the whole last year of his life into the college and scholarship.”
 
Grover Salsbury, Dale and others on the Senior Adult Program Advisory Committee reached their goal of $20,000. Grover Salsbury then set a new goal of $25,000.
 
“He was very driven. He worked about eight hours a day, five days a week,” said Dale.
 
Hitchcock residents for more than 50 years, the Salsburys were well connected within the community.

“Because of his go-getter attitude, you couldn’t tell him no,” said Aulds. “You couldn’t go anywhere in the Hitchcock / Santa Fe area without people knowing about him. He volunteered at the Grand (Opera House in Galveston). He was very community-minded.”
 
A dedicated COM Foundation board member, Grover Salsbury served on the fundraising committee. He also joined the COM Senior Adult Program Advisory Committee and helped with events such as the Annual Senior Adult Christmas luncheon, where he volunteered his artistic skills.
 
“He would use his jigsaw and carpenter abilities. He made a big corral and Western cutouts one year,” said Aulds.
 
An artist, Salsbury joined stained glass and fusion glass classes at the COM Senior Adult Program. Two of his pieces, a magnificent horse and deer, won awards in the COM Senior Adult Program Art Exhibit on display at the gallery through Aug. 21.
  
Grover Salsbury died July 8, 2014, after seeing the scholarship endowed with over $25,000. The scholarship now will be given each year in memory of the Salsburys as the Grover and Ada Faye Salsbury Senior Adult Endowed Scholarship.
 
“On the last day of his life, he was helping us take in art submissions for the senior adult program art exhibit,” said Aulds. “Whatever we needed, he was always there. It’s going to be a huge loss without him.”
 
His hard work will live on in the scholarship dedicated to helping senior adult students train to launch new careers.
 
“(Ada Faye and Grover) did so much for the college,” said Dale. “He believed in helping (people) get a start.”
 
For more information about the scholarship or to make a donation, call 409-933-8508.