A $2 million endowment to Western Kentucky University will establish two housing scholarships – one with a preference for WKU’s women athletes, and another for graduates from Bowling Green and Warren County high schools.

WKU Vice President for Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement Amanda Trabue made the announcement Thursday at the quarterly WKU Board of Regents meeting.

The endowment, from the Robert and Mary Tincher Charitable Foundation Inc., will fund the Robert and Mary Tincher Housing Scholarship and the Robert and Mary Tincher Lady Topper Housing Scholarship, according to WKU. The university stated that it will name a residence hall in honor of the gift and reveal the details later.

WKU President Tim Caboni told the Daily News that each scholarship will generate about $40,000 annually to support residence hall living and fees.

“You think about how important that gift is for students in our community,” Caboni said. “If they can’t afford to be in a residence hall, or if they are one of our Lady Topper athletes, it really helps all those young people today, tomorrow and in perpetuity.”

There’ll also be a preference for those who become university residents through South Central Kentucky Community and Technical College, he added.

“Bob and Mary Tincher were two of the most generous people that I have ever known,” said Joe Bill Campbell, the foundation’s general counsel. “They loved this community. They didn’t have any children, and they considered this community to be their family.”

The Tinchers, who were WKU graduates, supported numerous funds at the university beginning in 1976 such as scholarships, the Hilltopper Athletic Foundation and Lady Topper basketball.

It’s also one of at least two higher education scholarships the foundation made locally and recently. It announced a $1.5 million donation to SKyCTC in late September to fund the Robert and Mary Tincher Campus Community Center, an upcoming “state-of-the-art” hub for students and the public.

Robert Tincher, an immensely successful entrepreneur who supported numerous organizations, died in 2009. His wife, Mary Louise Tincher, launched the foundation to continue the Tinchers’ contributions. She died in 2018.