Three siblings are honoring their late uncle by creating an endowed scholarship for students in the John Chambers College of Business & Economics at West Virginia University.
Heidi Williams, Scott Cerullo and Mark Cerullo say their Uncle Bob Cerullo was a successful and extremely generous man who loved WVU. By creating the Robert J. Cerullo Scholarship, the family says it can commemorate their uncle’s generosity as well as the pride he had in his alma mater.
“His WVU degree was the stepping stone for his successful career and this scholarship is a way to pay it forward,” family members said. “He was always a WVU fan and he would let people know that he went there. We felt this was a way he could still show his support of WVU.”
Robert “Bob” Cerullo graduated from WVU in 1965 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. In addition, he served in the United State Air Force National Guard. He then moved to Washington D.C. where he earned a law degree from American University. Bob remained in D.C. where he had a successful career at Houlon Berman practicing real estate law.
His education at WVU laid the foundation for his professional life, but affording tuition did not come easy for Bob. His father passed away when he was just 14 years old. His niece and nephews want to help students who may be experiencing the same financial burden at WVU.
“Recognizing that others may face similar hardships, we hope to help, even if it’s only in some small way.”
After retiring, Bob spent much of his time traveling and enjoyed telling his friends and family stories about his experiences abroad. One of his hobbies involved renovating and reselling houses in the Washington D.C. area. He passed away in 2017.
The endowed scholarship was made through the WVU Foundation, the non-profit corporation that solicits and administers private donations on behalf of the University.