The program is named the Steven Roth Memorial Fund in honor of Steven Roth, son of MMA past president (1967‑69) Paul Roth and Caroll Roth. Steve Roth was a first year medical student at Ohio State University when he died of cancer in December, 1990. Steve was a committed Christian whose plans for service through medicine were ended by his untimely death. Recipients of the Steven Roth Program will be known as receiving the Steven Roth Program Award.
Steven James Roth was born September 3, 1965 in Holmes County Ohio to Paul and Caroll Roth. He grew up in the Killbuck community and graduated from Central Christian High School at Kidron, Ohio in 1983.
Steve attended Eastern Mennonite College for four years with a one‑year break to work in Austria and France. After graduation from EMC in 1988 he served one year in voluntary service at the Columbia Road Health Services, a clinic for low or no income Hispanic people, in Washington, DC. While serving at Columbia Road Health Services Steve developed a real love for and a desire to serve the population of people often overlooked by the main stream health care system.
His plans after medical school were to serve in some form of mission practice overseas or in this country. In the fall of 1989 he entered The Ohio State University, College of Medicine in Columbus, Ohio. He was active in and attended Neil Avenue Mennonite Church. In February 1990 Steve was diagnosed with undifferentiated adeno‑carcinoma and died December 22, 1990.
