Sharing the true value of education

Anne Rigney was no stranger to hard times.

She educated herself on a shoestring budget, lived through the depression and in her early years as a teacher, she worked for room and board only.

"Anne had been through hard times so she knew what it was like to want an education and not have the money to pay for it," says her close friend Isabel Bailey.

She never forgot the feeling and in her later years, it led her to establish two scholarships at the University of Regina.

According to Bailey, it was a trip to China that first gave Rigney the idea to help students who couldn’t afford an education. "She used to travel whenever she could. When she was in China one time, she met some excellent students who wouldn’t have had a chance over there, so she arranged to pay for their education in Regina."

Bing Su Shen was the first student to benefit from her generosity.

"She was very kind and very generous," says Shen who now teaches English as a Second Language at the U of R. "At that time, it meant everything. I wouldn’t have been able to survive in Canada without her help."

Rigney developed a friendship with Shen and some of the other students who benefited from the gift. When she died last fall, Shen was one of two student who attended her funeral.
According to Bailey, seeing the recipients graduate and succeed in their careers was important to her. "Anne was a very forthright straightforward woman. She was not gushy, but she was generous," recalls Bailey. "If she thought you needed something, she’d give it to you without any hesitation."

Shen agrees. "She herself lived a simple life. She didn’t spend her money on material things, but she was a very generous woman."