Each year, the AIEC presents scholarships to 17 individuals associated with Illinois electric cooperatives. One is the LaVern and Nola McEntire Memorial Lineworker’s Scholarship; the remaining 16 are Thomas H. Moore Illinois Electric Cooperatives Memorial Scholarships.
LaVern and Nola McEntire Memorial Lineworker’s Scholarship
The LaVern and Nola McEntire Memorial Lineworker’s Scholarship was awarded for the first time in 2011. LaVern McEntire served as a co-op lineworker for more than 42 years. He and his wife Nola endowed this scholarship to assist students in attending the lineworker’s school conducted by the AIEC 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.
Thomas H. Moore Illinois Electric Cooperatives (IEC) Memorial Scholarships
The IEC Memorial Scholarship Fund was established by unanimous vote of AIEC’s board of directors in January 1994. It is designed to provide financial assistance to deserving students in the electric cooperative family.
The driving force behind the creation of the fund was Thomas H. Moore, former executive vice president and general manager of the AIEC. Moore strongly believed that a scholarship program should be established to provide a means by which cooperatives and individuals could honor members of the electric cooperative family who have passed through memorial gifts. The scholarship program was renamed in his honor after he passed away in 2008.
The scholarship program prospered under the leadership of Earl Struck, who succeeded Moore and served as president/CEO of the AIEC from 1994 to 2006. Struck passed away in August 2007. That month, the AIEC board unanimously voted to honor Struck by naming an annual scholarship in his memory and awarding the Earl W. Struck Memorial Scholarship to the child of an electric cooperative employee or director.
The Illinois Community College System Foundation (ICCSF) administers the IEC Memorial Scholarship Fund. Sixteen IEC scholarships are awarded each year.
FAQ
How much is the scholarship?
As of 2026, each annual scholarship is worth $3,000. The scholarship must be used for educational costs, and the student must enter college within a year from the time the scholarship is issued.
How many IEC scholarships are awarded each year?
Sixteen scholarships are awarded to high school seniors each year. Ten are reserved for high school seniors who plan to enroll full-time at a 2-year or a 4-year college, university or vocational/technical school. Five are reserved for high school seniors enrolling full-time at a 2-year Illinois community college. And one, the Earl W. Struck Memorial Scholarship, will go to a high school senior who is the child of an Illinois electric cooperative employee or director and will enroll full-time at a 2-year or a 4-year college, university or vocational/technical school.
Who is eligible to receive an IEC scholarship?
Ten are awarded to students who are the children of an Illinois electric cooperative consumer-member who plan to enroll full-time at a 2-year or a 4-year college, university or vocational/technical school.
Five are reserved for students who are the children of Illinois electric cooperative consumer-members, employees or directors who plan to enroll full-time at a 2-year Illinois community college.
The Earl W. Struck Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a student who is the child of an Illinois electric cooperative employee or director and will enroll full-time at a 2-year or a 4-year college, university or vocational/technical school.
A scholarship applicant is eligible for consideration in only one category and through 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 2-year or 4-year college, university or vocational/technical school.
For full eligibility requirements, please see the Thomas H. Moore IEC Memorial Scholarship Program Official Rules.
How are 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 creative, thoughtful responses to how electric cooperatives can serve their future members, 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 all information required to apply for a scholarship by Dec. 31, 2025.
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 S. 6th St. 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.