Elon University has established a new scholarship program to benefit talented students with financial need from 12 counties in North Carolina’s central Piedmont region. The program is named The Honorable Thad Eure Achievement Scholarship. Eure served 47 years as a member of Elon’s board of trustees and 52 years as North Carolina’s secretary of state.
The goal of the program is to provide assistance for high achieving students who might not otherwise be able to afford to attend Elon. The scholarship awards will be $12,000 annually, renewable for three years for a total award of $48,000 per student. The scholarships, combined with other assistance, will provide financial aid packages that will meet up to the full financial need of recipients.
“Thad Eure’s daughter, Armecia Eure Black, has shared with us how pleased her father would have been with this scholarship program,” said Leo M. Lambert, Elon president. “She calls it a lasting honor and an endearing reminder of the love he had for Elon and his hopes and dreams for its future.”
Eure was elected secretary of state in 1936 and served under 13 North Carolina governors. Known for his signature bow ties and straw hats, he was an expert parliamentarian and taught each new class of freshman legislators the rules of conduct. He was a champion of common citizens and children, and insisted that the door to his office never be closed to the public.
Prior to his service as secretary of state, Eure served as mayor of Winton, N.C., and as a state legislator. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan recognized Eure as having held public office longer than any official in the nation, with more than 64 years of continuous service.
Eure had extensive family ties to Elon. Both of his grandfathers were devoted to the college and his aunt, sister, two brothers and four grandchildren attended Elon. Eure was determined to study law, and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but said he would have enrolled at Elon “if (the college) had had one law book” in its library.
Remaining faithful to Elon, Eure joined the board of trustees in 1942. He was elected chairman in 1955 and served in that role until he retired in 1989. When Eure died in 1993 at the age of 93, President Emeritus Earl Danieley said that “no college president ever had a finer board chairman to work with – he was completely dedicated to Elon College.”
Eure had a booming voice and gave powerful speeches on campus, ending with the pronouncement, “Long Live Elon College!”
In addition to financial aid, Eure scholarship recipients will enjoy several program benefits, including the following:
- Prior to the freshman year, students will attend a university-sponsored summer experience, such as Adventures in Leadership or the Pre-Serve Summer Program.
- Students will be assigned a community or regional mentor as well as a faculty mentor to guide their academic and civic commitments.
- Freshmen will be encouraged to live in a university living-learning community that has either an academic or special-interest focus.
- All recipients will receive $4,000 grants to support their participation in the Elon Experiences (leadership, study abroad, volunteer service, undergraduate research, internships).
- Recipients will be strongly encouraged to be engaged in service each year in a university-approved project or agency.
To be eligible for a Eure scholarship, students must reside in and be graduating from a high school in one of the following counties: Alamance, Orange, Durham, Chatham, Randolph, Davidson, Guilford, Forsyth, Rockingham, Caswell, Wake and Person. A special application is required and available through the university Web site or the Office of Admissions.
Competitive applicants should have strong high school records and exhibit significant involvement and leadership in high school, church, community, sports or fine arts activities. Local or regional recognition, honors or awards will also be assets in the application process.
All required application materials must be complete and postmarked no later than February 10. A university committee will select finalists for interviews. Notification will be made no later than April 1.