Roy F. Mather Scholarship

Born in 1918, Roy F. Mather, Jr. described himself as the product of the Great Depression. He contributed to his family's livelihood at a young age, caring for his two younger brothers and working a wide range of agriculture-related jobs available in California's San Fernando Valley. During World War II, Roy worked on merchant ships that sailed from northern Chile to Washington's Puget Sound, transporting nitrate for explosives production. After the War, Roy returned to southern California to marry his wife, Geraldine. They had two children and were married 59 years. Roy applied the work ethic developed in his youth to a variety of jobs as a Fuller Brush dealer and at aeronautical engineering positions at Lockheed and McDonald Douglas.

While raising a family and often working more than one job, Roy took classes at night offered through the University of California's extension services math, science and law. Later, Roy and his wife lived in Latin America which held a special place for them.

Roy retired in 1969, and he and Geraldine moved to the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In his early 60's, Roy could swing a heavy Polanski needed to fight forest fires and later was a spotter for firefighting aircraft. In 1975, Roy and Geraldine moved to Vancouver, Washington. Roy's character, direction and drive were shaped during times that were much tougher than most of us experience today. In commenting on his hope for his scholarship fund, Roy said, "I want the students to be goal-oriented and serious. Earnest, really. I know those are broad terms, but they are ones that helped me throughout my life. I want to reward those students who possess these qualities that will contribute to their future success and life fulfillment."

Award Information

Awards are between $2,000 - $3,500 and are at the discretion of the committee. Previous recipients of this scholarship may apply for additional awards each year they remain eligible. Renewal applicants will have special consideration or priority.

REQUIREMENTS

Students selected to receive this scholarship must:

• Be residents of Clark County, WA
• Plan to register or be currently registered at an accredited college, university, technical or career school.
• Pursue a degree in engineering
• Demonstrate outstanding academic achievement, including a GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale