Stephen J. Mapa, Sr., Bartram High School Class of 1952, put a high value on education in raising his son, Steve. Mapa Senior enlisted in the Navy immediately after graduation, but in 1966, while working at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, began eight years of night school to earn his bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering from Drexel. And again in 1984, he began night classes for his master’s from Penn State which he earned in 1988. Unfortunately, through exposure to toxic chemicals at the Navy Yard, he developed mesothelioma and very sadly passed away in 2019. But the story doesn’t end there.
With the settlement the Mapa family received, they are recognizing his dedication to higher education by creating the Stephen J. Mapa, Sr., Scholarship. Funds will allow 14 Bartram High students to receive $2,500 each college year through the spring semester of 2035. His son, Steve, explains. “We hope that this scholarship will honor my Dad’s legacy and help support Bartram graduates who want to further their education with a college degree.” PEF’s Philadelphia Scholars Program is proud to be entrusted with this gift to Bartram’s College Access Program (CAP).
In late May, Steve Mapa, Jr., met with the two inaugural Mapa Scholars over lunch in the CAP office at Bartram High. Precious Williams will attend Temple University’s College of Science and Technology, and Diamond Walker will study Neuroscience at La Salle University.
Pictured from left to right in main photo: Steve Mapa, Jr., Diamond Walker, Precious Williams, PEF College Access Coordinator Brandi Ashley, and PEF Scholars Senior Manager Allison Kelsey
