This scholarship was set up by a cousin of Dr. Cecil Groves, who served as SCC President from 1997-2010.
Following is the only criteria for applying:
- Applicants may be enrolled full or part-time and may be from any geographical area.
Here's more information about the wonderful individuals who made this scholarship possible:
William Lenson Groves was born in 1918 in the small farming community of Rock, Oklahoma. He grew up during some of the most trying times in American History – the Great Depression, drought conditions (The Dust Bowl) in the Midwest, and World War II. After high school, Mr. Groves went to college in Weatherford, Oklahoma until the start of World War II. Like most young men at that time, was drafted into military service at Fort Sill, located near Lawton, Oklahoma at age 22. William was a crew chief in the Air Force for the B-24 heavy bombers called “the Liberators”, and later the B-29 “Superfortress”, flying out of India, Burma, and China.
After the war, William continued his education and earned two college degrees – one from Southwestern Oklahoma State in Weatherford, Oklahoma and the other from La Tourneau College in Longview, Texas. Upon graduation, William would teach in the Pampa, Texas public schools for 29 years before retiring to operate his family’s farm in Rocky, Oklahoma.
During the war years, William began corresponding with a young lady, Frances Raleigh Rose, of Spindale, North Carolina. After several years of correspondence, they were married in 1958 at a small Methodist church in Rutherfordton, North Carolina and Frances relocated to Pampa, Texas, where William was teaching.
William believed that the experiences and accomplishments in his own life were an affirmation that education makes a positive difference in lives of people. With the help and counsel of his cousin, Dr. Cecil Groves, who was then president of Southwestern Community College, William conveyed to the Southwestern Community College Foundation the proceeds from the sale of his Spindale, North Carolina home for scholarships to help students.
Dr. Cecil Groves summarized the gift by saying this: "William was a generous and loving person known for his sincere kindness and humility. He always looked for the good in everyone, especially valuing the contributions of those who labored in the fields and factories to make life better for themselves and others."
