This scholarship fund was established by Karen Roots Helm in memory of the members of her family who attended East Aurora High School.
These members include her grandfather Louis A. Pauly, her mother Ethel Pauly Roots, her father Edward James Roots, as well as her aunt Mildred Pauly Tilly (Leo), and her uncle Louis R. “Bud” Pauly (Emma).
Louis A. Pauly was born in Aurora and attended Aurora schools, including East Side High School, which was located on Root Street.
In 1909 he began working as a clerk for the Home Building and Loan Company, eventually achieving the positions of company secretary and chairman of the board of directors.
Mr. Pauly was a charter member of the Marion Avenue Baptist Church. He also was grand master of the Masonic Lodge and the Ben Hur Lodge, as well as a member of numerous other organizations.
He and his wife Minnie raised three children on Lincoln Avenue in Aurora. The children attended C.M. Bardwell Elementary School and were graduates of East Aurora High School.
Daughter Ethel Pauly was a 1936 graduate of East High School of Aurora (now K.D. Waldo Middle School). She served as a substitute teacher.
She married Edward Roots, a 1930 East Aurora High School graduate. Mr. Roots was a city tennis champion and an engineer with the Barber-Greene Company.
They had three children who also attended Bardwell Elementary School and graduated from East Aurora High School at its present location on Fifth Avenue.
Their children included 1961 graduate Karen Roots Helm, 1966 graduate Richard (Dick) Roots, and 1969 graduate John Roots.
Karen was in the last class to attend the first East Side High School (it was being used for 8th grade) before it was demolished to make room for a grocery store.
Louis A. Pauly, and Edward and Ethel Roots believed in hard work, saving money and a good education. This fund recognizes and honors these timeless values that guided their lives.
Scholarships from the fund are reserved for graduates of East Aurora High School who also attended C.M. Bardwell Elementary School.
