E. K. & Lillian F. Bishop Scholarship Program

E. K. & Lillian F. Bishop Scholarship Program
A scholarship program to continue college educations
for college juniors, seniors and graduate students.

Bishop Scholarship Awards

The E. K. and Lillian F. Bishop Scholarships were originally created by the will of E. K. Bishop to provide awards for youthful students residing in Grays Harbor County. Recipients must be enrolled full-time in their third or fourth years of college undergraduate programs, or in their first or second years of graduate school. Since it was established, this program has been sponsored by the Bishop Foundation. In 2002, the Bishop Foundation Board authorized Grays Harbor College to manage the program and Bishop funds were allocated for this purpose. The original intent of Mr. and Mrs. Bishop – to recognize deserving young Grays Harbor collegians with financial support to follow their educational pursuits — continues to be the central focus of this program.

Individual scholarships may be awarded to a maximum of $3,000 annually for undergraduates and to a maximum of $5,000 annually for graduate students, to be used for tuition, room and board, or any other required school fees and supplies. Scholarships will not be awarded to any one student for a period in excess of four years. Funds for the scholarships will be paid directly to the college or university by written agreement. The educational institution shall agree to use grant funds to defray the recipient’s expenses, or to pay the funds or a portion thereof, to the recipient only if the recipient is enrolled in good standing at that institution consistent with the purposes and conditions of the grant. The educational institution will notify Grays Harbor College administration if the recipient fails to register for any college term. The unused portion of the grant will be returned to the scholarship fund.

Selection of Recipients
A selection committee will judge applications on the basis of established guidelines, noted in this brochure as “Eligibility Requirements,” without discrimination due to race, creed, sex or national origin. Information concerning financial need, prior academic performance and demonstrated ability, industry and the promise of useful citizenship will be taken into consideration, as will the number of qualified applicants and the availability of funds.

The selection committee may award scholarships to individuals for up to two years of undergraduate study and for up to two years of graduate study, dependent on the applicant’s continued ability to qualify according to the “Eligibility Requirements,” the number of worthy applicants and the availability of funds.

Each applicant will be informed of the selection committee’s decision by early August. Applications will be retained by the selection committee.

Eligibility Requirements
for Undergraduate Students

Must be a resident of Grays Harbor County
Must have graduated from a high school in Grays Harbor County.
Must be entering the third or fourth year of a college undergraduate program
Must be 22 years of age or younger, as of June 25 in the year when application is submitted
Must have completed at least 90 quarter hours or 60 semester hours or equivalent at a regionally accredited institution of higher education
Must be enrolled as a full-time student (minimum of 12 credits)
Must have an ACCUMULATIVE college grade point of at least 3.0 or an equivalent B average
Must be in need of financial assistance
Must have demonstrated ability, industriousness and promise of useful citizenship
Must apply EACH YEAR in order to be eligible to receive a scholarship
Must have submitted an application, in accordance with the established guidelines noted in “Application Requirements” in this brochure

Eligibility Requirements for Graduate Students

Must have graduated from a high school in Grays Harbor County
Must be 24 years of age or younger, as of June 25 in the year when application is submitted
Must have been accepted into a graduate program at a regionally accredited institution of higher education
Must be attending as a full-time graduate student
Must have an ACCUMULATIVE undergraduate college grade-point average of at least 3.0 or an equivalent B average
Applicants currently enrolled in a graduate program must have an ACCUMULATIVE grade-point average of at least 3.0 or equivalent B average (or verification from the graduate school attesting to solid academic performance at this level) for graduate study already completed
Must be in need of financial assistance
Must have demonstrated ability, industriousness and promise of useful citizenship
Must apply EACH YEAR in order to be eligible to receive a scholarship
Must have submitted an application, in accordance with the established guidelines noted in “Application Requirements” in this brochure

Download the Information Sheet
and
Application

(requires Acrobat Reader)

Application Requirements

The attached application* and financial information must be completed in full and mailed to:

Eric Potts
c/o Grays Harbor College
1620 Edward P. Smith Drive
Aberdeen, WA 98520

Applications must be postmarked on or before July 1.

*Requires free Acrobat Reader software.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

IT SHALL BE THE APPLICANT’S RESPONSIBILITY to provide the selection committee with the following additional information to be considered for an award:

A written statement prepared by the applicant of no more than two pages, stating his or her EDUCATIONAL AND CAREER GOALS
CERTIFIED high school and college (and, if applicable, graduate school) TRANSCRIPTS, together with a copy of the grade report for Spring Quarter/Semester of the current year of application, if certified transcript does not include that information
A history of the applicant’s employment
The names, addresses and telephone numbers of three references who may be contacted by the selection committee
For graduate-student applicants, documentation showing acceptance into an approved graduate school

Benefactors of the Bishop Scholarship Program

Lillian Fleet Bishop, “a grand lady”

The daughter of Grays Harbor pioneers, Lillian Fleet Bishop was born in Montesano to civil engineer David Wacker Fleet and his wife, Lillian. She continued to reside in the Harbor area until her death in 1971.

All who knew her would agree with an editorial written at the time of her death: Mrs. Bishop “was a grand lady, dignified, charming and warm – one of the Harbor’s most gracious people.”

Her active civic involvement included the YMCA and Children’s Orthopedic Hospital auxiliaries, along with the Grays Harbor College Foundation. In memory of her husband, she and her brother, Reuben Fleet, donated funds to construct the Bishop Center for the Performing Arts, located near the entrance of the Grays Harbor College campus. Her generosity demonstrated her continual “concern for the quality of life on the Harbor.”

E. K. Bishop, “adventurer & founder”

An adventurer at heart, E. K. Bishop was born in Alton, Illinois and worked his way west as a cook, teacher, tallyman and reporter. Shortly after arriving in Grays Harbor, he purchased a bankrupt shingle mill in Montesano and later moved to Aberdeen. He served as president of the Aberdeen State Bank, which later became the Grays Harbor National Bank and in 1933, the Grays Harbor branch of National Bank of Commerce.

In addition to his numerous business interests, he was active in many educational, civic and philanthropic causes. He was a founder of Grays Harbor College, established the Bishop Foundation for Eye Treatment and Research with Mrs. Bishop, helped create Camp Bishop for the Aberdeen (now Grays Harbor) YMCA, and joined his brother-in-law Reuben Fleet in creating the Bishop-Fleet Foundation for charitable purposes.

When Mr. Bishop died in 1968 in Aberdeen, at the age of 95, historians pronounced him the Harbor’s “grand old man of business, charities and civic affairs.”

The Bishops established the E. K. and Lillian F. Bishop Foundation to perpetuate their commitment to the youth of Grays Harbor, providing financial assistance to organizations and programs that benefit young people. The Foundation is held in trust with Bank of America, but funds for the Bishop Scholarship Program are administered through Grays Harbor College to assist young Harbor residents in their third, fourth and graduate school years.

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