W. H. and Ella Abel Memorial Scholarship

Born in Sussex, England in 1870, William H. Abel was raised and educated in Salina, Kansas. In 1892, he moved to Montesano in what was then called Chehalis County, marrying Ella Rosmond in the same year. 

 A school teacher and newspaper editor before being admitted to practice law in 1894, W. H. Abel went on to become one of the state’s leading attorneys. He worked on many of the most important trials of his time, including the prosecution of the IWW after the 1919 Armistice Day killings in Centralia. 

A powerful figure in county politics, Abel also served on several important statewide boards, including the Washington State Joint Board for Higher Curricula and the Canal Commission. 

He was an insatiable reader and dedicated supporter of libraries, donating hundreds of volumes to libraries at Washington State and Gonzaga Universities, as well as to the Montesano Public Library, which today bears his name. 

 The W. H. and Ella Abel Memorial Scholarship is open to all applicants who satisfy the general eligibility requirements of the Scholarship Program.