The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

Lamar State College-Port Arthur is accepting applications for the Gayle Sims Memorial Scholarships, which honor the former Lamar-Port Arthur office technology instructor who died of cancer at an early age in 1988.

Sims joined the Lamar State-PA faculty in 1976 and was the coordinator of the Office Occupations Program.

The Sims scholarship program was established 19 years ago.

The scholarships provide enough money to pay for all tuition and fees for new students taking 12 credit hours of academic or technical courses.

Students of any age may apply as long as they have not previously attended a college or university.

Applicants for the scholarship must agree to enroll in at least 12 credit hours of classes.

The deadline for applications is April 1.

The criteria for judging includes an applicant’s grades, work experience and/or service in the U.S. armed forces, SAT and/or ACT scores and recommendations from teachers and employers.

Applicants also are evaluated on the basis of an interview with the committee members.

A committee of faculty and staff members will conduct personal interviews with each applicant.

The committee determines how many scholarships will be awarded on the basis of how much money is available and the number of qualified applicants.

The winners will be announced no later than June 1.

For information on the scholarship, call David Sorrells, chair of the scholarship committee, at 984-6416.

Information also is available from Patricia Guidry in the Admission Advising Office at 984-6184.