The Carlisle Family

The Lyle E. and Ethel F. Sheldon Nursing Memorial Scholarship was created by Maria Lisa, Maeleah Kristen and Naomi Ruth Carlisle, granddaughters of Mr. and Mrs. Lyle E. Sheldon, who wished it as a tribute to their grandparents. Established in 1989, it is offered to a returning Jefferson Community College student striving for an associate in applied science degree. Leah Mae Carlisle, the Sheldon’s daughter, said her parents “would be delighted to be able to help someone attain an education.”

Born in Copenhagen, New York, on July 5, 1904, Lyle E. Sheldon was raised on a farm nearby his birthplace. According to Mrs. Carlisle, he appreciated nature’s beauty. A self-educated man, he was talented in creating useful objects.

After graduating from Copenhagen High School in 1923, he began a career in banking. Completing a full day’s work, he would then travel to Watertown to attend the American Institute of Banking at night. In 1946, when the Copenhagen National Bank became Marine Midland Bank, he was head cashier. Soon after, he was transferred to the bank’s auditing department in Watertown. He retired from Marine Midland in 1969 as comptroller after 46 years of service.

Mr. Sheldon was an active member of Asbury United Methodist Church, serving at various times as treasurer of the building fund, auditor and consultant for the board of trustees. He served on the building and facilities committee of the Thousand Island’s Girl Scout Council. He was also a member of the Orient Lodge 238, F&AM, Copenhagen; the Ancient Scottish Rite in the Valley of Watertown and the Valley of Syracuse. He died September 8, 1977.

Ethel F. Sheldon was born in March 1910, in Fine, New York. In order to go to high school, she moved to Copenhagen to live with her sister. She walked from the country to attend school in the village and worked for her room and board. “She really wanted an education,” said Mrs. Carlisle. In 1928, she graduated from Copenhagen High School.

Like her husband, Mrs. Sheldon was a member of the Asbury Methodist Church. One of Mrs. Sheldon’s special talents was preparing homemade church dinners — for 500 people. She was a matron in the Order of the Eastern Star in Copenhagen and Watertown and served as Girl Scout Leader of Troop 38, Thousand Islands Girl Scout Council. Mrs. Sheldon died January 9, 1989.

The Jefferson Community College Foundation thanks the Carlisle family for offering this scholarship.