Martha and James Nerangis Memorial Endowed Scholarship

The story of Martha and James Nerangis is a story of the American Dream.

Jim and Martha did not have the opportunity to attend college. Jim became the head of his household at the age of 14, after his father died. Martha had the chance to attend Vassar College, but was instead required to take care of six younger siblings, after her mother died.

In 1935, Martha Poulmas, 18, married Nerangis, 21, in Corfu, Greece, where Jim was born and raised. They then traveled by ship to Martha’s hometown of Poughkeepsie, New York, where Jim worked in her family’s Greek diner.

Jim particularly admired the customers who wore pressed white shirts and neckties. He was eager to follow in their footsteps, learned that they sold insurance, and started working for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in 1941. Jim rose through the ranks, from agent, to general assistant manager, to district manager. Likewise, Martha was very smart, always enjoyed learning, and worked hard, supporting her husband and raising two sons.

Martha and Jim celebrated 71 years of marriage, two sons, six grandchildren, and eleven great-grandchildren. They moved to Winchester in 1997 and loved living in the Shenandoah Valley. They would have been exceptionally proud to know that a scholarship in their name will help hard working, single parents in our community achieve their goal of a college education.