By ANDREA LAYCOCK
Andrea@newsroom.byu.edu
A new annual scholarship offered to BYU Honors students commemorates Robert K. Thomas, the founding director of the honors program and former academic vice president at BYU.
To be eligible for the scholarship, students must be a committed BYU undergraduate honors student, complete 10 credit hours of honors classes as of the end of Fall 1999, hold a minimum of 3.0 GPA, demonstrate financial need and not hold a BYU presidential scholarship.
Three $1,000 Robert K. Thomas scholarships will be awarded this semester.
'Many students are eligible for the scholarship and the university is fortunate to offer this to students,' said Steven Benzley, assistant dean of general education and honors.
2,900 students are currently enrolled in the honors program and 600 to 700 new students enter to the honors program each year.
'We are very lucky as BYU students to have so much financial backing and support,' said Marlene Hanson, 20, a junior from Cleburne, Tex., majoring in humanities.
Robert K. Thomas was a teacher, leader and author. He served as president of the Australian-Melbourne mission from 1983-86.
Leslie P. Fife, a missionary who served under Thomas, said Thomas had a great and continuing impact on his life.
'After my father, he has had the greatest influence for good on my life of any other man I have personally known,' Fife said.
'He had great faith, not only in the message we were teaching, but in us as teachers. He made you feel that you could do anything with the Lord's help,' said Eric Choules, another missionary who served under Thomas.
Shirley Thomas, former education counselor in the general Relief Society presidency and wife of the late Robert K. Thomas, said Thomas' mother inspired his commitment to scholarship.
'His mother's influence, plus the influence of the gospel, allowed him to exceed beyond all expectations,' Thomas said.
'He managed to help people realize what a great potential they had,' she said.
Those who are interested in applying for the Robert K. Thomas scholarship can submit an application to 350 MSRB by 5 p.m. Jan. 21.