Robert Gahan Scholarship

Robert Gahan was a guidance counselor at Stillman Valley High School in Stillman Valley, Illinois, in the 1980's. By all accounts, Robert first and foremost was a good human being and a great guidance counselor to all students. He cared deeply about each student and wanted to set them on a great path for their future. He worked hard to find a path to college or an apprenticeship for each student who came through the school.

On Monday, April 21st, 1986, Robert's body was found brutally beaten and burned in a rural area near Roscoe, Illinois. After a very long legal process including multiple overturned convictions, his killer was sentenced to forty years in prison. 

Robert identified as a gay man, but only in private as times were very different in the 1980’s. Stillman Valley is a very small, rural, and traditional minded community about 25 minutes outside of Rockford, IL. Robert was not comfortable being open with his sexuality and kept it to himself in his professional life and even in some aspects of his personal life. It wasn’t until the investigation into the crime that took Roberts life, that personal information on Robert came to light. Unfortunately, the defense team of Robert’s killer weaponized Robert’s sexuality, exploited his personal life, and tarnished his reputation. After this information about Robert’s personal life was revealed, Stillman Valley did next to nothing to honor Robert and his legacy as a loved and well respected Guidance Counselor at SVHS.

This scholarship aims to honor the memory and legacy of Robert Gahan by supporting students who are committed to fighting discrimination.

Any high school senior at Stillman Valley High School in Illinois may apply for this scholarship opportunity.

To apply, tell us how you have faced discrimination, how being discriminated against has affected your goals, and what can be done to reduce discrimination in the future.