Board of Directors President of the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Scholorship Foundation Al Taubenberger (left) with the Muller Group Scholorship recipient Andrew Thum of LaSalle University, and The Muller Group, Inc. President Joel P. Shafer at the Muller buisiness headquarters, Thursday, June 28, 2012, Philadelphia, Pa. (Maria Pouchnikova)
Andrew Thum was a double winner last week.
Thum, a Mayfair resident about to enter his senior year at La Salle University, was among 10 students who received scholarships from the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Foundation during a June 25 dinner at Edgemont Caterers in Bridesburg.
In addition, Thum earned the fourth annual C. John Muller Scholarship, given by Muller Inc., the beverage giant at 2800 Grant Ave.
The scholarship is named in memory of Muller, a Brewerytown native and decorated World War II veteran who formed Clement & Muller in 1956. The business grew over the years, especially during the 1980s, and Muller became a prominent philanthropist.
Muller, who died in 2001 at age 92, lived by the motto, “Do your giving while you’re living so you’ll be knowing where it’s going.”
Among his gifts were to build a wing at a Bucks County nursing home for sufferers of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). His wife Josephine died of the disease in 1986.
Muller and second wife Sandy created the C. John Muller Center for Senior Health at Abington Memorial Hospital. He was also generous to the German Society and funded an auditorium and cafeteria at Abington Friends School.
“To be selected is a special honor and privilege,” Thum said.
Al Taubenberger, president of the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and of the foundation’s board of directors, said that Thum was an appropriate recipient.
“He’s aspiring to be a nurse, and Mr. Muller was so involved in health care. He inspired a lot of people,” he said.
Thum, 20, is a graduate of St. Timothy Elementary School and Roman Catholic High School. He is pursuing a nursing degree at La Salle, where he is in the honors program, and is working this summer as a volunteer extern at Fox Chase Cancer Center.
To be considered for the Foundation and Muller scholarships, Thum submitted an essay, resume and references from La Salle honors program director Richard Nigro and Mary Dorr, assistant dean of La Salle’s School of Nursing and Health Science.
Thum is on the dean’s list with a 3.76 grade point average, writes for the university newspaper, serves on the La Salle Judicial Board, is a member of the Student Nurses Association of Pennsylvania and works at the Dining Car. ••
