What is the Thomas H. Moore Illinois Electric Cooperatives (IEC) Memorial Scholarship Fund?
The IEC Memorial Scholarship Fund was established by unanimous vote of the Board of Directors of the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives (AIEC) in January, 1994. It is designed to provide financial assistance to deserving students in the “electric cooperative family.”
The “driving force” behind creation of the fund was Thomas H. Moore, long-time Executive Vice President and General Manager of the AIEC. Mr. Moore, who retired in January, 1994, strongly believed that a fund and scholarship program should be established to provide a means by which cooperatives and individuals could honor deceased members of the electric cooperative family through memorial gifts. The scholarship program was re-named in honor of Mr. Moore after he passed away in 2008.
The scholarship program prospered under the leadership of Earl W. Struck, who succeeded Mr. Moore and served as President/CEO of the AIEC from 1994 to his retirement in 2006. Mr. Struck passed away in August 2007. The AIEC Board of Directors that month unanimously voted to honor Mr. Struck’s memory by naming the annual scholarship awarded to the child of an electric cooperative employee or director the “Earl W. Struck Memorial Scholarship.”
The Illinois Community College System Foundation (ICCSF) administers the IEC Memorial Scholarship Fund. Seventeen scholarships are awarded each year.
The “LaVern and Nola McEntire Memorial Lineworker’s Scholarship” was awarded for the first time in 2011. LaVern McEntire served as a co-op lineman for over 42 years. He and his wife, Nola, endowed this new scholarship to assist students in attending the lineworker’s school at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, IL. For eligibility requirements, please see the “LaVern and Nola McEntire Memorial Lineworker’s Scholarship Official Rules and Regulations.” To find out more information or to apply click here.
PLEASE NOTE: The remainder of this page deals with the other thirteen (i.e., non-lineworker) scholarships included in the Thomas H. Moore IEC Memorial Scholarship Program.
How many scholarships are awarded each year?
Seventeen scholarships are awarded each year. Sixteen are specific for high school seniors.
Ten scholarships are awarded to students (high school seniors) enrolling full-time at a two-year or a four-year college, university, or vocational/technical school who are the child of an Illinois electric cooperative consumer-member receiving service from the cooperative.
Five scholarships are reserved for students (high school seniors) enrolling full-time at a two-year Illinois community college who are the child of Illinois electric cooperative consumer-members, employees or directors.
One scholarship, the Earl W. Struck Memorial Scholarship, is awarded to a student (high school senior) enrolling full-time at a two-year or a four-year college, university, or vocational/technical school who is the child of an Illinois electric cooperative employee or director.
One scholarship, the LaVern and Nola McEntire Memorial Lineworker’s Scholarship, is awarded to a student to attend the lineworker’s school conducted by the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives in conjunction with Lincoln Land Community College, Springfield, IL.
How much is the scholarship?
Each annual scholarship is worth $2,000. The scholarship must be used for educational costs, and the student must enter college within a year from the time the scholarship is issued.
Who is eligible to receive the scholarship?
Ten scholarships will be awarded to high school students whose parent(s) are an electric cooperative member who resides in Illinois and is receiving service from the cooperative at the time the scholarship application is submitted.
An eleventh scholarship – the Earl W. Struck Memorial Scholarship – will be awarded to a student who is the child of an electric cooperative employee or director who resides in Illinois.
A scholarship applicant is eligible for consideration in only one of the above two categories, and is eligible to apply through only one electric cooperative.
The applicant must be a high school senior who is planning to enroll in a full-time (at least 12 hours) undergraduate course of study at an accredited two-year or four-year college, university, or vocational/technical school.
Five scholarships will be awarded to a high school senior who will be enrolling full-time at a two-year Illinois community college. Children of electric cooperative members, employees and directors who reside in Illinois are eligible to apply.
For full eligibility requirements, please see the “Thomas H. Moore IEC Memorial Scholarship Program Official Rules.”
How are the recipients selected?
Scholarships are awarded based on grade point average, college entrance test scores, work and volunteer experience, participation in school and community activities, biographical statement and knowledge of electric cooperatives, as demonstrated by a short essay.
How does someone apply?
To apply, a student must meet the required criteria and complete the online scholarship application through their local electric cooperative website or by clicking here. Each applicant is responsible for submitting online all information required to apply for a scholarship by December 31, 2023.
How can contributions to the IEC Memorial Scholarship Fund be made?
Checks should be mailed and made payable to:
“IEC Memorial Scholarship Fund/ICCSF”
ATTN: Brooke Gross
6460 South Sixth Street Frontage Road East
Springfield, IL 62712
Memorial gifts should list the person in whose memory the gift is given. All contributions by individuals are tax-deductible.