A retired Idaho school superintendent and his three children have created a foundation offering scholarships to Idaho students attending in-state colleges, honoring a wife and mother who dedicated her life to education before succumbing to ALS.
Rich Bauscher, 73, who formerly led the Kimberly and Middleton school districts before his 2016 retirement, worked with his children to establish the LiNae Bauscher Foundation following his wife’s death in 2024. LiNae Bauscher received her ALS diagnosis in July 2023 after experiencing months of throat pain doctors could not initially explain.
Medical professionals informed the family she likely had approximately 15 months remaining. According to Rich Bauscher, his wife handled the devastating news with greater composure than he and their children could muster.
Turning Loss Into Legacy
The Bauscher children — Mistie, 44, Matthew, 41, and Megan, 35 — shared their father’s determination to preserve their mother’s commitment to education through meaningful action. Matthew Bauscher, who works in finance and real estate, navigated the legal requirements to register the organization as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit one year after his mother’s passing.
He surprised his father and sisters by presenting the formal establishment paperwork along with a check held by the Bauscher grandchildren. The emotional moment reflected what family members believe LiNae Bauscher would have wanted.
Before illness prevented her participation, LiNae Bauscher attended nearly every sporting event and school function involving her grandchildren. An Idaho native herself, she valued keeping young people rooted in their home state.
Focusing Support on Idaho Youth
The foundation restricts eligibility to Idaho high school seniors planning to attend Idaho colleges and universities. Matthew Bauscher explained the family hopes scholarship recipients will gain skills allowing them to build lives within the state rather than relocating due to limited opportunities or affordability concerns.
In under seven months, 25 donors contributed more than $40,000 to the foundation. Those funds have supported 11 scholarship recipients to date.
The family opened applications on April 1 to prospective and current Idaho college students, receiving nearly 100 submissions by month’s end. From that pool, they selected 11 finalists for in-person interviews to determine award amounts.
Beyond Grades and Test Scores
While the application requested standard information including grade point average, extracurricular involvement and college selection, the Bauscher family looked for deeper indicators of character. Finalists were expected to demonstrate knowledge of ALS and LiNae Bauscher’s life and values.
One interview question centered on her favorite song, Tim McGraw’s Grammy-winning “Humble and Kind.” Rich Bauscher asked candidates to provide examples showing how they embody those qualities in ways paralleling his late wife’s approach to life.
Matthew Bauscher described the finalist interviews as a “round robin” of detailed questioning designed to assess each applicant thoroughly.
Top Recipient Receives Major Award
Charli Russell, an 18-year-old senior at Rocky Mountain High School in Meridian, emerged as the top scholarship winner. Russell serves as student body president, captains the volleyball team and maintains a 4.0 grade point average.
Rich Bauscher praised Russell’s outgoing personality and interview performance, describing it as exceptional from beginning to end. The family surprised her at school Wednesday with a $10,000 award designated for Boise State University, an amount expected to cover her first two years of college expenses.
What Comes Next
The Bauscher family intends to make scholarships available annually to Idaho high school seniors. Rich Bauscher views the interview process as serving a dual purpose — identifying worthy recipients while simultaneously helping young people develop skills they will need throughout their careers. He encourages applicants to invest significant time researching and preparing, noting that the same discipline required for scholarship interviews applies to job interviews and other professional opportunities throughout life.