Army Scholarship Foundation Help Our Heroes Luncheon
featured speaker Lieutenant General James H. Dickinson, Commanding General, US Army Space and Missile Defense Command
TheArmy Scholarship Foundation Help Our Heroes Luncheon at Brook Hollow Golf Club featured Lieutenant General James H. Dickinson, Commanding General, US Army Space and Missile Defense Command as the featured speaker.
North Dallas residents Rose and Jeff Gault, chaired the event. They are now retired and continue to serve their country as volunteer chairs of this luncheon each fall. Rose retired as a Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Air Force and Jeff retired as a Colonel in the US Army.
Mark Davis, morning host at 660 AM and emcee, welcomed the crowd and gave a brief history of the Army Scholarship Foundation, which was incorporated in 2001 as a 501c3 nonprofit, saying that because of this audience’s support, children and spouses of Army families receive the gift of a scholarship, which truly makes a difference in their lives. All stood as Donald Jones of the Dallas Opera sang the national anthem, which was followed by the invocation by Reverend Jamie Malakoff.
After luncheon, Jeff thanked sponsors Bell, Hillwood-A Perot Company, 7-11, Christus Health, Glass Doctor, Trinity Industries and media sponsors 660AM, the Answer, 1160 AM KBDT and The Park Cities News/The Waters Family, as well as sponsoring hosts Mr. and Mrs. John R .Murrell. He then recognized Samantha Nance, a former scholarship recipient who now works with Bell and played a video showcasing the testimony of other scholarship recipients who shared their personal stories of how the Army Scholarship Foundation has changed their lives.
Lieutenant General Stanley E. Green, US Army, retired, introduced Lieutenant General James H. Dickinson, saying they have known each other a long while and that Lt. Gen. Dickinson is a soldier, statesman and gentleman, having commanded at all levels in peace and war.
Lt. Gen. Dickinson said our most precious asset is our soldiers and their families. He said our adversaries are more challenging and more lethal than ever before. Under his command, his troops are increasing readiness all around the world defending 300 million citizens. There are eighteen astronauts in the history of the Army and three active duty astronauts today. It is very exciting what is going on in space, developing satellite communications command for GPS and more. He said the threat is more complicated and more sophisticated than ever. His command includes hypersonic weapons, winged quad copters and unmanned weapons and the Army’s future promises a great modernization effort. They are ready.
In speaking about the Army’s troops and their families, Lt. Gen. Dickinson said the strength of our soldiers relies in knowing their families are taken care of – that children tend to be very resilient as they move around the world, but the need for scholarships is enormous. Most families cannot meet that need on their own and the Army Scholarship Foundation’s work is critical to enabling quality of life, making college education available to children and spouses and filling a void in their lives. That opportunity is now.
The luncheon benefits the Army Scholarship Foundation’s mission to provide college scholarships to the sons and daughters of those who have served our nation honorably as soldiers in the United States Army and to provide college scholarships to spouses of enlisted soldiers serving on active duty in the United States Army.
The Host Committee includesLieutenant Colonel (USA, Ret) WoodyAlexander, Association of the US Army; Darcy Anderson, Hillwood; Jon Arnett, AT&T; The Honorable Allen Clark; Michele Vonnegut Costello;Otis and Carmaleta Felton; Lt General (USA, Ret) Jay Garner; Roger Gault, the Gault Company; Stan Graf, Graf Chevrolet; Lt General (USA, Ret) Stanley Green; Robert Gunby, RTG Capital; Robert Hastings, Bell; Dierk Hohman, Planet Home Lending; Colonel (USA, Ret) J.P. Hogan, Association of US Army; Colonel (USAF, Ret) Ralph Hodge; Ellen Houlihan, Raytheon; Congressman Sam Johnson, Texas; Ambassador Robert Jordan, SMU; Colonel (USA Ret) Richard Kaniss, Association of US Army; Michael Lunceford, Mary Kay Foundation; Major General (USA, Ret) Mike Marchand; Congressman Kenny Marchant, Texas:Tad McIntosh, HumCap Inc; Andrew Nall, Radiant Financial; Nancy Parkes, Matteson Group-Coldwell Banker; Larry Patterson, Glass Doctor of North Texas; Patrick and Mary Sculley, The Exercise Coach of Dallas; The Honorable Keith Self, Colin County; Congressman Pete Sessions, Texas; Steve Sosland, Texas Tech Health Science Center; Thomas and Joan Stephens, Stephens & Associates; Meredith Walker, East West Institute Board of Councilors; Congressman Allen West, NCPA; The Honorable Alberto Zapanta, USA, Ret, US-Mexico Chamber of Commerce.
For more information visit the website at www.armyscholarshipfoundation.org
Photos by Dana Driensky
History: In the year 2000, a handful of U.S. Army veterans joined together to develop plans for establishing a foundation to assist the needy sons and daughters of soldiers and Army veterans in achieving their dreams of higher education. It was the vision of these Army veterans that the Foundation would grow and be able to benefit an ever increasing number of deserving children of soldiers.
Following the events of 9/11, the Foundation took on a new meaning for its founders and volunteers. They established a scholarship in memory of a fellow soldier, Captain Jennifer Shafer-Odom who was killed during the war on drugs in Columbia, and additional scholarships were soon established in memory of those fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In 2001, the Internal Revenue Service recognized the Foundation as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, making all donations to the Foundation fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by federal law. In order to recognize the sacrifices of the spouses of serving enlisted soldiers, in 2006 the Board opened eligibility for scholarships to such spouses as well.
In 2016, the Army Scholarship Foundation awarded a record 103 scholarships to deserving Army family members in pursuit their educational dreams. Since 2001, the Foundation has awarded more than 300 scholarships averaging approximately $1,000 each. Unfortunately, many highly qualified applicants do not receive awards due to lack of funding.
The Army Scholarship Foundation continues today as an all-volunteer organization, run by caring individuals seeking to assist Army family members in their educational pursuits as a small way of saying "thank you" for the many sacrifices made by Army families.