E. K. & Lillian F. Bishop Scholarship Program
A scholarship program to continue college educations for college juniors, seniors and graduate students. The endowed program, created in memory of the area’s two generous benefactors, recognizes deserving young Grays Harbor students by supporting them as they follow their educational goals.
The E.K. and Lillian F. Bishop Scholarship provides awards for youthful students fromin Grays Harbor County. Recipients must be enrolled full-time in their third or fourth year of college undergraduate programs, or in their first or second years of graduate school. Since it was established, this program had been sponsored by the Bishop Foundation. In 2002, the Bishop Foundation Board authorized Grays Harbor College to manage the program and Bishop funds were allocated for this purpose. The original intent of Mr. and Mrs. Bishop – to recognize young Grays Harbor collegians with financial support to follow their educational pursuits – continues to be the central focus of this program.
Individual scholarships may be awarded to a maximum of $3,000 annually for undergraduates and to a maximum of $5,000 annually for graduate students, to be used for tuition, room and board, or any other required school fees and supplies. Scholarships will be paid directly to the college or university by written agreement. The educational institution shall agree to use grant funds or a portion thereof, to the recipient only if the recipient is enrolled in good standing at that institution consistent with purposes and conditions of the scholarship. The educational institution will notify the Grays Harbor College, Office of College Development, if the recipient fails to register for any college term. The unused portion of the scholarship will be returned to the scholarship fund.
The E.K. & Lillian F. Bishop Scholarship Programs opens annually on May 1 and closes annually on July 1.
Selection of Recipients
A selection committee will judge applications on the basis of established guidelines, noted on this site as “Eligibility Requirements”, without discrimination to race, creed, sex, or national origin. Information concerning financial need, prior academic performance and demonstrated ability, industry and the promise of useful citizenship will be taken into consideration, as will the number of qualified applicants and the availability of funds.
The selection committee may award scholarships to individuals for up to two years of undergraduate study and for up to two years of graduate study, dependent on the applicant’s continued ability to qualify according to the “Eligibility Requirements”, the number of worthy applicants and the availability of funds.
Each applicant will be informed of the selection committee’s decision by early August. Applications will be retained by the selection committee.
Eligibility Requirements – Undergraduate Students
- Must have graduated from a high school in Grays Harbor County
- Must be entering the third or fourth year of a college undergraduate program
- Must be 24 years of age or younger, as of June 25 in the year when the application is submitted
- Must have completed at least 90 quarter hours or 60 semester hours or equivalent at a regionally accredited institution of higher education
- Must be enrolled full-time (minimum of 12 credits)
- Must have an ACCUMULATIVE college grade point of at least 3.0 or an equivalent B average
- Must be in need of financial assistance
- Must have demonstrated ability, industriousness and promise of useful citizenship
- Must apply EACH YEAR in order to be eligible to receive a scholarship
Eligibility Requirements – Graduate Students
- Must have graduated from a high school in Grays Harbor County
- Must be 26 years of age or younger, as of June 25 in the year when application is submitted
- Must have been accepted into a graduate program at a regionally accredited institution of higher education
- Must be attending as a full-time graduate student
- Must have an ACCUMULATIVE under graduate college grade-point average of at least 3.0 or an equivalent B average
- Applicants currently enrolled in a graduate program must have an ACCUMULATIVE grade-point average of at least 3.0 or equivalent B average (or verification from the graduate school attesting to solid academic performance at this level) for graduate study already completed
- Must be in need of financial assistance
- Must have demonstrated ability, industriousness and promise of useful citizenship
- Must apply EACH YEAR in order to be eligible to receive a scholarship
Lillian Fleet Bishop – “A Grand Lady”
The daughter of Grays Harbor pioneers, Lillian Fleet Bishop was born in Montesano to civil engineer David Wacker Fleet and his wife, Lillian. She continued to reside in the Harbor area until her death in 1971.
All who knew her would agree with an editorial written at the time of her death: Mrs. Bishop “was a grand lady, dignified, charming and warm – one of the Harbor’s most gracious people.”
Her active civic involvement included the YMCA and Children’s Orthopedic Hospital auxiliaries, along with the Grays Harbor College Foundation. In memory of her husband, she and her brother, Reuben Fleet, donated funds to construct the Bishop Center for the Performing Arts, located near the entrance of the Grays Harbor College campus. Her generosity demonstrated her continual “concern for the quality of life on the Harbor”.
The Bishops established the E.K. and Lillian F. Bishop Foundation to perpetuate their commitment to the youth of Grays Harbor, providing financial assistance to organizations and programs that benefit young people. These funds are administered through Grays Harbor College to assist young Harbor residents in their third, fourth and graduate school years.
E.K. Bishop – “Adventurer and Founder”
An adventurer at heart, E.K. Bishop was born in Alton, Illinois and worked his way west as a cook, teacher, tallyman and reporter. Shortly after arriving in Grays Harbor, he purchased a bankrupt shingle mill in Montesano and later move to Aberdeen. He served as president of the Aberdeen State Bank, which later became the Grays Harbor National Bank and in 1933, the Grays Harbor branch of National Bank of Commerce.
In addition to his numerous business interests, he was active in many educational, civic and philanthropic causes. He was a founder of Grays Harbor College, established the Bishop Foundation for Eye Treatment and Research with Mrs. Bishop, helped create Camp Bishop for Aberdeen (now Grays Harbor) YMCA, and joined his brother-in-law Reuben Fleet in creating the Bishop-Fleet Foundation for charitable purposes.
When Mr. Bishop died in 1968 in Aberdeen, at the age of 95, historians pronounced him the Harbor’s “grand old man of business, charities and civic affairs”.