As a lifelong educator, the late Jon C. Ziarko believed deeply in ensuring that future teachers have the financial support needed to inspire and educate coming generations. Through a generous estate gift, that commitment will continue for years to come.
Ziarko bequeathed more than $660,000 to the University of Mississippi, establishing the Jon C. Ziarko Memorial Scholarship Endowment within the School of Education. The endowment will provide scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students pursuing careers in education, including majors enrolled in the Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program.
David Rock, dean of the School of Education, said the gift will have a lasting impact on both future teachers and the students they serve.
“We are honored to memorialize Dr. Ziarko through this meaningful gift,” Rock said. “The endowment bearing his name will support School of Education students at every level as they prepare to become educators. Its impact will be felt for generations.”
After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Florida, Ziarko joined the School of Education at Ole Miss as a graduate instructor. He completed his doctorate in education at the university in 1973.
Over a distinguished career spanning several decades, Ziarko taught students at the junior high, high school and collegiate levels. He worked in Florida schools, taught at Gonzaga University in Washington, and spent the majority of his professional life as a civilian educational specialist for the U.S. Navy in Tennessee.
Although his professional interests centered on teacher education, science education and educational research, his favorite pursuit outside the classroom was tennis. During his retirement celebration in 2010, he recalled one of his proudest accomplishments with characteristic humor: “My greatest accomplishment with the Navy was four consecutive intramural tennis championships. Lost in the finals of a fifth.”
Ziarko’s work with the Navy took him around the globe. Kathy Fisher, a high school classmate, friend and executor of his estate, said he thoroughly enjoyed exploring a vast number of countries.
“Jon’s endless curiosity about the world around him resulted in him setting foot on all seven continents, all before he retired,” Fisher said. “His love of adventure and travel continued into retirement.”
In 2011, Ziarko retired to The Villages, Florida, where he continued to enjoy tennis and travel. Shortly before his death, he had planned a trip to Iceland and Greenland.
Ray Holbrook of Cookeville, Tennessee, and Dan Campbell of St. Petersburg, Florida, became friends with Ziarko as teenagers. The three entered the University of Florida together in 1963 and maintained a friendship that spanned more than six decades.
“While we were all lifelong Gator fans, Jon managed to convert at least part of us into Ole Miss fans as well,” Holbrook said with a laugh.
Though careers and family responsibilities eventually pulled them in different directions, the friends reconnected after Ziarko’s retirement. What began with a reunion at a Florida spring football game evolved into many more shared game days and gatherings in the years that followed.
Reflecting on their lifelong friendship, Holbrook described Ziarko as a man of exceptional character.
“Throughout his life, Jon demonstrated great character, kindness and generosity,” Holbrook said. “Whether on the tennis court or in the classroom, he was a fierce competitor who always sought the very best for himself and for those around him.”
Campbell echoed those sentiments.
“Jon was a rare person who valued friendships that endured for decades,” he said. “He was very private, yet he was the kind of person who would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it.”
Campbell added that Ziarko never lost sight of the role education played in shaping his life. His decision to name Ole Miss and three other organizations as beneficiaries of his estate reflects his gratitude for the opportunities his education provided.
The Jon C. Ziarko Memorial Scholarship Endowment is open to receiving gifts from individuals and organizations by sending a check with the fund noted in the memo line to the University of Mississippi Foundation, 406 University Avenue, Oxford, MS 38655.
To make a gift online, click here.
For more information about supporting the School of Education, contact Kelly Smith Marion, director of development, at ksmith13@olemiss.edu or 662-915-2007. For information about including the University of Mississippi in estate plans, contact Marc Littlecott at marcplan@olemiss.edu or 662-915-6625.
By Jonathan Scott/UM Foundation