The Richardson Scholarships

The Richardson Legacy

A legacy is usually defined as a gift from one generation to the next, but in a greater sense, a true legacy keeps alive the meaning and relevance of the values and ideals held sacred by both living witnesses and those departed. The Richardson Family legacy is dedicated to the premise that those who pursue a career teaching, helping, and caring for individuals with special needs have chosen a noble and worthy profession.

The scholarships and legacy that Jack and Alice Richardson support honor Alice Richardson, who was an educator in Hillsborough County for forty years, and their children Laurie Ann, who died at the age of twenty-one, and Cathy Lynne, diagnosed with autism at an early age. Their remarkable stories are the bedrock on which this scholarship program is based, and the ideals, values and joyful lives exhibited by Alice and her daughters are examples for us all.

Three to five $4,000 scholarships are presented annually at the Richardson Scholarship Society Showcase held at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida.  The scholarship program is funded in perpetuity through an endowment established by Laurie Ann and Cathy Lynne's parents, Jack and Alice Richardson.  In the interest of diversity, the scholarships are awarded without regard to race, creed, or religious affiliation. The scholarships will support students at the undergraduate, master's and doctoral levels with $4,000 of funding, payable at the rate of $1,000 per semester for four semesters of full-time academic work.