$1 Million Gift Funds New Scholarship

NEWINGTON, CT, Jan 27, 2003--The ARRL Foundation has announced the Goldfarb Memorial Scholarship, a full, four-year undergraduate scholarship that will go to a meritorious young Amateur Radio operator about to graduate from high school. The new award is the result of a generous endowment from the late William Goldfarb, N2ITP.

ARRL Foundation Secretary Mary Lau, N1VH, said the Goldfarb scholarship marks the first Foundation scholarship offering to fund a complete undergraduate education. "It's been a long process," she said. "This scholarship was five years in the making. Bill Goldfarb was a humorous, kindly man; a really warm spirit." Before his death in 1997, Goldfarb set up a scholarship endowment of close to $1 million in memory of his parents, Albert and Dorothy Goldfarb.

Each year, to the extent of the funds available, the Foundation will select a deserving young Amateur Radio operator to receive a "full ride" for his or her undergraduate studies at an accredited baccalaureate degree-granting college or university. The successful applicant must major in computers, engineering, the sciences, medical/nursing or a business-related area. Also, financial need must be demonstrated via submission of a copy of the applicant's Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The grant will cover all conventional educational expenses--including tuition, room and board and textbooks.

A close friend of Goldfarb's--Richard Goldstein--characterized Goldfarb as "a wonderful person" who was genuinely interested in other people. "Bill felt deeply for his parents, whom he lost when he was a teenager," Goldstein said. "He placed a high value on education, and he saw this scholarship as a way to perpetuate the memory of his parents."

Goldfarb grew up in Brooklyn and, after a stint overseas in the US Air Force, he worked in Manhattan for the New York City Department of Finance. He was a great lover of the arts, culture and travel, and animals, Goldstein said, and volunteered with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

An on-line application for the Goldfarb Memorial Scholarship is available on the ARRL Web site. The application deadline for the 2004 Goldfarb Scholarship is February 1, 2004. The ARRL Foundation encourages high school students to apply. For additional information, contact Mary Lau, N1VH.

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