Wrosch Selects Western Oregon University To Receive $1,000 Scholarship
The National Notary Foundation endowed a $1,000 scholarship to Western Oregon University (WOU) as part of the honors granted to Tom Wrosch as the 2015 recipient of the National Notary Association’s (NNA) March Fong Eu Achievement Award. Wrosch joined Bill Anderson, the NNA’s vice president of government affairs, at the State Capitol building in Salem, Oregon at 2:00 p.m. today to present the check to WOU Professor Molly Mayhead.
“I have a lot of ties to Western Oregon University’s communications studies department and it feels great to support them with this scholarship. In fact, one of the biggest influences of my life was my high school speech teacher, Jane Berry Eddings, who came directly from WOU and got me involved in public speaking,” said Wrosch.
Wrosch is responsible for Notary and business outreach in the Corporate Division of the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office. He was selected as the distinguished recipient of the Award for his efforts to elevate and strengthen the American Notary Public office in Oregon, across the United States and throughout the world. For more than 20 years Wrosch has been instrumental in professionalizing the Notary office and being an advocate for educating both Notaries and their employers.
During his tenure as president of the National Association of Secretaries of State’s Notary Public Administrators Section, he worked with the Uniform Law Commission to update model Notary legislation. His efforts resulted in significant changes, such as allowing Notaries to decline a notarization if the signer appears incompetent or unwilling to sign.
On an international level, Wrosch advocated for the recognition and acceptance of notarized documents abroad as part of a U.S. delegation to The Hague Conference on Private International Law’s Apostille Convention.
A tribute video of Wrosch’s accomplishments is available online and his acceptance remarks from the award ceremony are available too.
The Award is named for its first recipient — former California Secretary of State March Fong Eu — who spearheaded progressive Notary reform legislation despite opposition from powerful lobbies. Since 1979, the Award honorees have included secretaries of state, legislators, governors, state Notary program administrators, attorneys general, scholars and judges.
About the National Notary Foundation
The National Notary Foundation (NNF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation established in 1997 by the National Notary Association (NNA). The NNF supports scholarship, education, research, personal achievement, humanitarian and philanthropic projects for less fortunate Americans and others in need around the globe. All of the NNF’s operating costs are donated by the NNA and 100 percent of NNF contributions go directly to the worthy programs it supports.
About the National Notary Association
Established in 1957, the National Notary Association (NNA) is the leading professional authority on the American Notary office and is dedicated to educating, serving and advocating for the nation’s 4.4 million Notaries. It published the Model Notary Act to help lawmakers enact effective legislation and created The Notary Public Code of Professional Responsibility — a standard for best practices and professional conduct. To learn more, visit NationalNotary.org.
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