The Edward Arthur Mellinger Educational Foundation Inc. was incorporated in 1959 in accordance with the will of Inez A. Hensleigh of Monmouth, Illinois. Mrs. Hensleigh directed that the Foundation be created in memory of her brother, Edward Arthur Mellinger, a distinguished electrical engineer and a pioneer in the development of telephone communications throughout the world.  Shortly before his death in 1933, Mr. Mellinger established the Mellinger Investment Company, which he hoped would ultimately be the source of an endowment for educational purposes.  Following the stock market crash of the early 1930’s, he concluded there would not be sufficient funding for the foundation he had in mind.  He subsequently left what remained of the Mellinger Investment Company to his two sisters, Maude Luther Mehaffey and Inez A. Hensleigh. 

Years later, Mrs. Hensleigh, now the owner of all the stock following the death of her sister, recalled her brother’s interest in establishing an educational fund. In accordance with Mrs. Hensleigh’s wishes, the Foundation’s income is used to provide scholarships for students at the undergraduate level.