Hurd Scholarships Provides $50,000 to Phoenix Graduates

PHOENIX – The 2017 John C. Birdlebough High School commencement ceremony marked a milestone for all graduates and it served as an especially memorable experience for Ryan Luke and Breanna Backus.

Seated among their classmates during the ceremony, their names were announced as the recipients of the Robert and Roberta Hurd Scholarship.

Luke received a $40,000 award, while Backus earned a $10,000 secondary scholarship.

The awards were part of a nearly $1 million bequest gift from the Hurds, alumni of Phoenix schools who wanted to give back to the community after they passed away.

“The Hurds were amazing people,” said Wyatt Parker, a JCB graduate who was the recipient of the inaugural scholarship in 2015. “They lived in a community that they loved, and that loved them back. (This scholarship) will hopefully inspire future recipients to reach for the dreams they may not have been able to grasp otherwise.”

Award recipients must fall within the top 15 percent scholastic rating of his or her class.

The recipient should also demonstrate some level of financial need and show moral values reflected by personal action and respect for family members, fellow students, teachers and the community.

Each scholarship will be paid in equal yearly installments over four years if the students remain enrolled in college and in good standing.

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