J. Mosteller Leaves Estate to Stetson

A former Bartow county citizen leaves large sums in will for education. Mr. Jacob Mosteller of Orlando, Fla., an uncle of Joe and Max Mosteller of Cartersville endows Stetson University with his estate so left in his will.

For more than half a century Jacob Mosteller watched young men and young women grow to maturity in Orlando. As he watched, he observed that those with college training more often became leaders than those without this advantage.

Though he himself was not a college man, Mosteller was the first to admit that his lack of preparation kept him from being the kind of leader he would like to have been.

Even without a college education, Jacob Mosteller prospered in his business as a general contractor. Since he had no children of his own, he devoted much time and money to helping other worthy young men and women complete their education. These students proved to be an inspiration to him. To make certain that his philanthropies continued even after his death, he provided in his will that his entire estate should be turned over after his death, to a college or university selected by his executors and used for student loans.*

Today, in carrying out the provisions of his will, his executors established the A. Jacob and Villa V. Mosteller Educational Fund at Stetson University in the amount of $125,000, according to Dr. J. Ollie Edmunds, president of the University.

“In the olden times it was the perogative of royalty to endow colleges and universities with scholarships” Dr. Edmunds recalled. “In our day colleges still list in their general catalogues the names of the wealthy men and women who have given large sums. But here at Stetson none will be more proudly acclaimed than the humble contractor who established the new fund “The Jacob Mosteller Student Loan Fund.”

Mr. Mosteller is remembered in Orlando as being thrifty in his personal affairs but generous with those he wanted to help. After his wife died in 1926 he established a $10,000 memorial at Georgia Baptist (hospital) in Atlanta where she received treatment.

Mr. Mosteller moved to Orlando from a farm near Cartersville, Ga in 1881 when he was 21 years old. At the time of his death in 1945 he was a member of the Winter Park Baptist Church.

Note from Carolyn Ward:  *Jacob's will called for his executors ultimately (after 10 years of detailed procedures for the use by students ) to choose for the residue “one or two Baptist colleges that are in good repute.” CW