Castle Valley Couple Funds 46 Scholarships Over 33 Years

For 33 years, Castle Valley high school seniors received an unexpected gift: college money from strangers who wanted nothing but their success.

It started in 1989 when Ralph Marble, a Massachusetts businessman with a Castle Valley vacation home, called then-Mayor John Groo with an offer. He wanted to fund $1,000 scholarships annually for local students heading to college, but he insisted on staying anonymous.

The first recipients, Amanda McGann and Token Plaskett, split the inaugural award in fall 1989. Amanda went on to pursue law at the University of Utah while Token continued her education at Salt Lake Community College.

Year after year, the checks arrived like clockwork. The scholarship grew from $1,000 to $1,500 in 1995, then $2,000 in 1999, $2,500 in 2017, and finally $3,000 in 2022.

The recipients went on to remarkable careers. Raelene Ehlers became a Morgan County commissioner after earning degrees from BYU and the University of Utah. Kiri Wagstaff graduated cum laude, earned her Ph.D. at Cornell, and worked at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Ralph and Sylvia Marble became familiar faces during their annual Castle Valley visits. Their property was marked by distinctive whale bones at the driveway entrance, and Ralph loved showing his 1928 Chevrolet Coupe at the Moab car show.

Mayor Groo kept the couple's secret until Ralph's death in 2007, when he decided their generosity deserved recognition. Sylvia was slightly annoyed by the revelation but continued funding scholarships for another 16 years, even after they'd sold their Castle Valley property.

The Ripple Effect

The Marbles never met most of the students they helped. They didn't require essays about overcoming adversity or letters of gratitude. Students simply needed to show college acceptance and submit a request.

By the time the annual checks stopped arriving in 2024, 46 students had received support totaling over $65,000. Some became engineers, others commissioners, business owners, and NASA scientists.

The scholarship often made the difference between attending college or postponing dreams. In a small community like Castle Valley, where graduating classes sometimes had just one or two students, that consistent support shaped an entire generation.

Ralph and Sylvia's legacy lives in every career launched, every degree earned, and every student who learned that strangers sometimes believe in you before you believe in yourself.