Yesterday was Memorial Day, and that led me to thinking about one of the many specialized sources of college aid: the La Verne Noyes Scholarship. It is for direct descendants of honorably discharged American veterans who served in World War I. Noyes was the founder of the Aermotor Windmill Company, which is still in business. In 1918, he donated $2.5 million for a scholarship for World War I veterans at the University of Chicago and the University of Iowa. When he died, he had no direct heirs, so the company’s ownership was put into trust for the scholarship, which was also expanded to include 48 different colleges. The company has since been sold, but the trust continues.
Over the years, the parameters of the scholarship have changed from veterans, their children, their grandchildren, and now their direct descendants. Eligible students apply through the colleges offering the scholarship, and they need to show proof both of their lineage and of their ancestor’s military service.
