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New RichmondCC Scholarship Will Give Students a Jumpstart to a Career

May 8

Ed O’Neal remembers many years ago when a good friend of his, Ted Smith, loaned him $400 to buy a car. While not a large sum of money, to O’Neal it was a huge amount and was the jumpstart he needed at that point in his life. Retired Lt. Col. Ed O’Neal, U.S. Air Force, (left) established the D.R. “Ted” Smith Memorial Scholarship at Richmond Community College. He is pictured with his daughter, Whitney, and Smith’s wife, Peggy, with Dr. Dale McInnis, President of RichmondCC.

Giving someone else a jumpstart is exactly what O’Neal hopes to accomplish with the D.R. “Ted” Smith Memorial Scholarship that he established at Richmond Community College in memory of his longtime friend.

O’Neal is a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force. His family and Smith’s family have long been close friends, and Peggy, Ted’s wife, said her husband always treated O’Neal like a son.

“When Ted loaned me that money, he was giving me that head start, that little bit of a push that made such a difference,” O’Neal said.

Two scholarships will be awarded each year to a student in the Nursing Assistant I program and a student in the NCCER Electrical Level I program offered through the College’s Workforce and Economic Development division. The scholarships will cover all tuition, books and fees, as well as specific supplies needed for each program.

“Each year these scholarships will help one person in each program, and hopefully that will help change someone’s life to put them on the path to pay it back somewhere else or help someone else,” O’Neal said. “Good work and having a profession is one of the greatest things that can help change a person’s life in such a wonderful and lasting way.”

The scholarship is need-based and has parameters set to give preference to females enrolled in the electrical program and males in the nursing course.

While the scholarship was endowed as of April 2017, additional funds were made available so the scholarship can be awarded immediately while the endowment grows.

Dr. Dale McInnis, President of RichmondCC, noted the uniqueness of the scholarship O’Neal established.

“You have blazed a trail, just like you did in the military, just like you did in school, and just like you did throughout your career because we don’t have another scholarship like this,” McInnis said about O’Neal. “He has set the example that others can now follow for establishing endowed scholarships. We are going to be using what we invented with you as a template to show other people how their support can have the greatest impact.”

McInnis also thanked O’Neal for entrusting the RichmondCC Foundation with this scholarship and for honoring a man who meant so much to O’Neal and his family.

“The best thing that will come out of this scholarship is the help it will give these students every year and knowing somebody else is going to have a chance,” McInnis said. “We’ve got a great friend in Ed O’Neal at this college, and I thank you for that.”

Dr. Hal Shuler, Associate Vice President of Development, encouraged others to follow the example set by O’Neal in supporting students who are trying to get an education that will put them in a career, not just a job.

“A scholarship is a great way to honor someone’s memory, while also helping others get ahead in life,” Shuler said. “As Ed said, it’s a great way to pay back a jumpstart you might have been given at some point in your life.”

To learn more about the D.R. “Ted” Smith Memorial Scholarship Fund or to contribute to this scholarship fund to help it grow, contact Shuler at (910) 410-1807 or whshuler@richmondcc.edu.