In 1969, the now retired Lt. Col. Richard Tuck and Sheryl Ware Tuck, both University students at the time, went on their first date to an Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps spring picnic.
Nearly 40 years later, the Tucks have established the First Date Scholarship, a $1,000 scholarship to commemorate that May day and the late Mrs. Tuck, who died in July.
Stefanie Mongan, a University senior majoring in sociology, was chosen as the scholarship’s inaugural recipient last term. Mongan is a member of the University’s ROTC program as well as a medic with the Oregon National Guard, which she was inspired to join by a teacher at Springfield High School who served as a nurse during the Vietnam War.
“The colonel offered (the scholarship) to me because they wanted to give it to a female,” Mongan said.
But Lt. Col. William Fox – a professor in the University’s military science department who was asked to choose a worthy student by Mr. Tuck, currently of Moscow, Idaho – chose Mongan for far more than her gender.
“Her overall capability, her intelligence, her professionalism, her physical fitness, and her teamwork and her ability to work well with others helped have her be spotlighted as one of the top female students we had in the program,” Fox said. “She’s a great leader, but also a great member of the team.”
Other factors involved in Mongan’s recognition include her scores on the U.S. Army ROTC Physical Training Test and her performance in the summer’s Army Leadership Development Course and Airborne School.
“It was cool because I hadn’t gotten any scholarships before,” Mongan said. “I was honored to be given the scholarship.”
When Mongan graduates in June, she will serve in the active duty Army as part of Adjutant General’s Corps in Fort Jackson, S.C.
The First Date Scholarship is funded by an endowment, a monetary gift to an institution that is then invested, allowing the amount to grow over time.
“The Tucks gave a little extra money so it can start paying out straight away,” said Cindy Youngman, office specialist in the military science department, noting that endowments typically take three years to start paying.
The scholarship will be awarded annually to a University ROTC cadet based on the Order of Merit List, a numeric score generated from academic, physical and leadership prowess.
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