William and Martha Foley Scholarship in History

The William and Martha Foley Scholarship in History is available through the University of Central Missouri Alumni Foundation for junior and senior students who have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and are pursuing a degree in History or Social Studies at the University of Central Missouri. This scholarship is made possible by way of a generous gift from William & Martha Foley.

William (Bill) Foley, grew up in Parkville, MO, and graduated from Park Hill High School. He attended Central Missouri State College and received a Bachelor of Science in Education degree in social studies in 1960. He taught in the Raytown, MO, school district for two years before returning to CMSU as a graduate assistant in history. After completing his Master of Arts degree in 1963, he attended the University of Missouri in Columbia where he attained a Doctor of Philosophy degree in history in 1967.

Bill joined UCM’s history faculty in 1966 and taught there until his retirement in 2001. During his tenure, he attained the rank of Professor and was a recipient of UCM’s Distinguished Service Award, the Byler Distinguished Faculty Award, the Missouri Governor’s Award for Teaching Excellence, and the College of Arts and Sciences’ Distinguished Faculty Award.

A specialist in Missouri history and the history of the American West, Foley authored and co-authored seven books and numerous scholarly articles for which he received many awards. Professionally active, he served as a member of the Missouri Historical Review’s editorial board, as General Editor of the University of Missouri Press’s Missouri Biography Series, a member of the Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, a member of the Missouri Historical Records Advisory Board, and a member of the Friends of the Missouri State Archives Board of Directors. The State Historical Society of Missouri honored him with its Distinguished Service Award and the Friends of the Missouri State Archives established the William E. Foley Research Fellowship in recognition of his scholarly attainments. He was also inducted into the Park Hill School District’s Alumni Hall of Fame.

While in Warrensburg, Foley was an active participant in community projects and organizations. He served two terms on the R-6 Board of Education. He was a co-founder of the Warrensburg Meals on Wheels program which he chaired for many years. He also served as a member and president of the Board of Directors of the Trails Regional Library as well as the Johnson County Missouri Historical Society.

Martha Ellenburg Foley, a native Texan, grew up in Dallas. After attending Woodrow Wilson High School, she enrolled at North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas) and completed Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in history. In 1963, she accepted a graduate assistantship in history at the University of Missouri in Columbia where she received her Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1967. Martha specialized in U.S. history with an emphasis on the post-Civil War period. Following her graduation, she returned to the University of North Texas as a member of the history faculty and taught there prior to her marriage to Bill. She taught briefly at State Fair Community College until the birth of their children, Laura and David. After several years as an active stay-at-home mom, she taught history as an adjunct member of the UCM faculty.

Bill and Martha met and fell in love at the University of Missouri where they both served as teaching assistants in the history department. Following graduation, they went their separate ways, but after a brief time of being apart, they determined that the arrangement was not working and were married in 1967. After retirement, they both remained active in the Warrensburg community until 2023 when they moved to Arlington, VA, to be nearer to their children and grandchildren. Both were the first members of their families to enroll in college, and their appreciation for the benefits of higher learning, their mutual love of the study of history and its importance, and their long and rewarding associations with UCM faculty colleagues and students has prompted them to establish this endowed scholarship in history.