CJCAT, AIG VALIC Award Past President’s Scholarship

Polk County Commissioner Bobby Smith, 2005 immediate past president of the County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas (CJCAT), awarded the 2005 CJCAT Past President’s Scholarship of $5,000 to Corry Don Jones of Corrigan-Camden High School in Corrigan.
Smith, along with Bob Wendel, managing director of AIG Variable Annuity Life Insurance (VALIC) which funds the award, and Russell Wheeler, AIG VALIC financial adviser, presented a Scholarship Guarantee Certificate to Jones at the Polk County Commissioners Court meeting May 24.
“I have always felt that a youth’s education is of key importance in today’s world,” Smith said. “Being able to provide a deserving young man or woman the opportunity to continue the process of education after high school is truly a good feeling,” he continued.
This is the sixth scholarship funded by AIG VALIC, of Houston.
“We established the scholarship as a meaningful way to enhance our relationship with the county judges and commissioners,” Wendel said. The program is designed to award $5,000 to a graduating senior from a high school located in the county of the immediate past president.
“I’d like to thank AIG VALIC for putting this program together for our youth,” Smith said. “It is my opinion that the AIG VALIC Past President’s Scholarship is one of the better ‘perks’ of the CJCAT presidency.”
Criteria for the scholarship selection included class ranking, activities and personal attributes, letters of recommendation, and a written essay. A committee of representatives from the Region IV Education Service Center of Houston reviewed scholarship applications.
Jones ranked second in his class of 62 students and graduated with an A+ average. He will be attending Texas A&M University in the fall where he will pursue a degree in civil engineering.
“I know from personal experience that an education is something to take pride in and not to take lightly,” Jones wrote in his essay. “I am looking forward to accomplishing my goal and to one day give back to my family and community what they have given to me.”
In high school Jones served as an FFA officer and competed on several FFA judging teams. As a member of the National Honor Society, Jones organized a number of community service activities. He also was awarded the School Board of Education Academic Excellence Award.
Monica Gunter, assistant superintendent of the Corrigan-Camden Independent School District, described Jones as “an excellent candidate” for the scholarship.
“It has been a privilege to watch him grow as a leader of our student body,” Gunter wrote. “Because groups take on the personality of their leader, it has been particularly helpful to have students like Corry leading and providing role models in such a positive manner.”
Jones will receive the first $2,500 scholarship installment after presenting evidence of full-time college enrollment for the first semester, and the remainder after presenting evidence of full-time status for the second semester.
“Our county is growing so rapidly, that it was great to see that the scholarship was awarded to one of the older families who chose to remain and raise their family here in Polk County,” Smith said.
Julie Anderson, Editor