Estate Gift Supports Future Educators

Ziarko bequeathed more than $660,000 to the University of Mississippi, establishing the Jon C. Ziarko Memorial Scholarship Endowment in the School of Education. The endowment will provide scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students pursuing careers in education, including majors enrolled in the Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program.

The gift will have a lasting impact on future teachers and the students they serve, said David Rock, the school's dean.

"The endowment bearing his name will support School of Education students at every level as they prepare to become educators," Rock said. "Its impact will be felt for generations."

After earning bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Florida, Ziarko joined the Ole Miss education school as a graduate instructor. He completed his doctorate in education at the university in 1973.

Over a distinguished career spanning several decades, Ziarko taught students at the junior high, high school and collegiate levels. He worked in Florida schools, taught at Gonzaga University and spent the majority of his professional life as a civilian educational specialist for the U.S. Navy in Tennessee.

Although his professional interests centered on teacher education, science education and educational research, his favorite pursuit outside the classroom was tennis. During his retirement celebration in 2010, he recalled one of his proudest accomplishments with characteristic humor.

"My greatest accomplishment with the Navy was four consecutive intramural tennis championships," he said. " Lost in the finals of a fifth."

Ziarko's work with the Navy took him around the globe. Kathy Fisher, a high school classmate, friend and executor of his estate, said he enjoyed exploring a vast number of countries.

"Jon's endless curiosity about the world around him resulted in him setting foot on all seven continents, all before he retired," Fisher said. "His love of adventure and travel continued into retirement."

In 2011, Ziarko retired to The Villages, Florida, where he continued to enjoy tennis and travel. Shortly before his death, he had planned a trip to Iceland and Greenland.

Ray Holbrook, of Cookeville, Tennessee, and Dan Campbell, of St. Petersburg, Florida, became friends with Ziarko as teenagers. The three entered the University of Florida together in 1963 and maintained a friendship that spanned more than six decades.

"While we were all lifelong Gator fans, Jon managed to convert at least part of us into Ole Miss fans as well," Holbrook said.

Though careers and family responsibilities eventually pulled them in different directions, the friends reconnected after Ziarko's retirement. What began with a reunion at a Florida spring football game evolved into many more shared game days and gatherings in the years that followed.

Reflecting on their lifelong friendship, Holbrook described Ziarko as a man of exceptional character.

"Throughout his life, Jon demonstrated great character, kindness and generosity," Holbrook said. "Whether on the tennis court or in the classroom, he was a fierce competitor who always sought the very best for himself and for those around him."

Campbell echoed those sentiments.

"Jon was a rare person who valued friendships that endured for decades," he said. "He was very private, yet he was the kind of person who would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it."

Ziarko never lost sight of the role education played in shaping his life, Campbell said. His decision to name Ole Miss and three other organizations as beneficiaries of his estate reflects his gratitude for the opportunities his education provided.

The Jon C. Ziarko Memorial Scholarship Endowment is open to receiving gifts from individuals and organizations by sending a check with the fund noted in the memo line to the University of Mississippi Foundation, 406 University Ave., Oxford, MS 38655, or make a gift online here.

Top: Elementary education major Jennifer Lee Williams (left) works with students at Southaven Elementary School. The late Jon Ziarko, who earned a doctorate in education at Ole Miss, left more than $660,000 to the university to establish an endowed scholarship to assist students who plan to pursue teaching careers. Photo by Kevin Bain/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services