Lillian McKay and Steve Karplak Fund

This scholarship was generously created through a bequest from the estate of Lillian McKay Karplak and Steve Karplak

Award Overview

Value of the award:
Minimum $2,500
Number of awards:
Variable
Award frequency:
Annual
Level or program of study:
Undergraduate
Application Type:
Online Scholarship and Bursaries portal, accessible via uoZone.
Application Deadline:
November 2
Renewable:
Yes

Purpose of this Award

To provide financial assistance to students in the Faculty of Medicine whose education would otherwise be compromised.

Eligibility Criteria

The candidate must:

  1. be registered as a full-time student in an undergraduate program at the Faculty of Medicine
  2. demonstrate financial need, as determined by the Financial Aid and Awards Service

How to Apply

Multiple Awards Program

To be considered for this award, candidates must apply to .

Applications must be submitted in the Online Scholarship and Bursaries portal, accessible via uoZone, and must include:

  1. the Financial Questionnaire

About this Award

This fund was established in April 2004 through a bequest from the estate of Lillian McKay Karplak and Steve Karplak.

Mrs. Lillian McKay Karplak was born in 1913 in Blackpool, England. Her father, Peter Holcroft, never met his daughter; he died at the beginning of WWI. Her mother, Lillian Holcroft, remarried and the family moved to Canada in the late 1940s. Lillian's mother and stepfather had one son, Alfred Brammall, of Gatineau. Steven Karplak was born in 1903 in Poland. He and Lillian married in 1950. They had no children. Lillian Karplak spent most of her life babysitting and assisting with household duties for Ottawa families. 

Steve Karplak was a handyman and performed multiple jobs throughout his life. They were a kind and caring couple and lived all their married life in a small house in Hull, now Gatineau. They had many friends, mostly from their neighbourhood. In 1997, Steve and Lillian moved to the Résidence Brunet and Steve died shortly after. Lillian remained there until her death in 2004. Both wanted to leave a legacy to assist young medical students. 

They appreciated the cost of education and wished that their bequest to the University of Ottawa would provide a lasting benefit to ensure that medical students could receive some financial assistance in order for them to continue their studies.