Grateful community recipients of the Romeo estate bequest meet at the office of Snowiss, Steinberg & Faulkner LLP in Lock Haven. Pictured are: top row – Walt Eisenhauer, LHU Physician Assistant Department Chair; Dr. Keith Miller, LHU President; and Mary Jo Williamson, S.P.C.A. President; bottom row –Lynne Herrmann and Karen Bitner, executrices of the estate for attorney Alvin Snowiss.

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Through the generosity of a local woman and her family, the Lock Haven University Foundation and the Clinton County S.P.C.A. are receiving a combined $1.2 million charitable donation.

The generous bequest to the community comes from the estate of former Lock Haven resident Gladys V. Romeo, who died July 25, 2007 and who was the mother of the late Dr. Victoria J. Romeo and widow of Victor Romeo.

Gladys established that the bequest would be split two ways, with the Lock Haven University Foundation receiving 50 percent to fund scholarships for students in the LHU Physician Assistant Program. The scholarship will be in memory of her late daughter, Victoria. The other 50 percent will to go to helping homeless animals at the Clinton County S.P.C.A. become healthy adoptable pets, by vaccinating, spaying and neutering and updating the facilities to keep the animals comfortable and safe.

“Gladys and Victoria Romeo will continue to do wonderful things with their bequest, and Lock Haven University is honored to be one of two significant community beneficiaries,” said Dr. Keith T. Miller, LHU President. “This selfless gift will perpetually enable students to afford an education and go on to become physician assistants. It will give back exponentially as those very graduates of the LHU Physician Assistant Program will wind up helping with the medical treatment of and care of others.”

As half of the bequest will greatly help the Clinton County S.P.C.A., the organization’s seven-year president and 15-year board member, Mary Jo Williamson, is thankful for the much-needed gift.

“Our S.P.C.A. wouldn’t be able to function without bequests and donations” Williamson said. “But at the same time, it is really important that people realize that this money will be invested to help with spaying and neutering, and the S.P.C.A. still needs community support.”

As the S.P.C.A. participates in National Spay Day in February, the S.P.C.A. actually paid out $6,000 last year to cover costs for the event in 2007, she said, noting that the service was provided at a $20 discount. And as the nonprofit’s purpose is to have animals at the shelter adopted, costs of adoption are low and not a significant source of revenue, Williamson said.” We couldn’t survive on our adoptions alone. It takes caring, generous people from our community, such as the Romeo’s to help keep our shelter on it feet, and be here for the needs of homeless, sick, injured, and abandoned animals.”

The Romeos have always been animal lovers, according to Williamson who knew Victoria personally.

Victoria had attended Lock Haven State College in the mid-1960s, which helped pave the way for her to go on to the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, now known as the Drexel University College of Medicine. After college, she returned to her home town of Lock Haven to practice family medicine. She had a special interest in women’s health and volunteered many hours at LHU caring for women students. She also was a strong advocate for the LHU Physician Assistant Program.

“It is indeed an awesome gift for students and we hope to utilize the money to provide scholarships to students who demonstrate a commitment to remain in state providing primary care to underserved populations,” said Walter Eisenhauer, Physician Assistant Department Chair.

The nationally-ranked Lock Haven University Physician Assistant Program is a graduate, entry level program with a mission to prepare highly qualified physician assistants for practice in rural and medically underserved regions of the commonwealth, Eisenhauer said. Victoria understood the need for physician assistants, he noted.

“Dr Romeo was a lifelong resident of Clinton County who was intimately aware of the challenges of delivering primary care services in rural communities,” Eisenhauer said. “She served as a physician supervisor for numerous PA’s including myself while she was in practice and remained a staunch supporter of the PA profession. Her support of the PA profession and of individual PA’s is sorely missed. This gift will enable future PA students to celebrate her accomplishments, commitment to Clinton County and to the regional medical community, and commitment to the philosophy of dependent PA practice.”