Retired State Sen. Steve Stoddard and his wife Barbara in September 2012. Photo by Carol A.Clark/ladailypost.com

LAPSF News:

Barbara and the late Steve Stoddard established the Stoddard Scholarships for Nursing and Teaching as a result of Steve’s work on the Board of the Caldera National Preserve. 

Steve was a member of the original trustees of the Valles Caldera and attended many meetings to decide the fate of the Caldera. He was paid a small stipend for his service and he and Barbara saved these funds. 

The Stoddards decided to fund two annual awards to graduating seniors from Los Alamos High School who will attend an accredited New Mexico college or university and major in nursing or education. They both valued the work that teachers and nurses do for our community and state and the shortages in these professions are what spurred this generosity. 

The details of the requirements are clearly spelled out in the local scholarship packet which was made available to Los Alamos High School seniors by the Career and College Planning Center in early February. Packets may still be picked up at Los Alamos High School or can be accessed on the high school’s web page http://laschools.net/lahs. 

The Stoddard Scholarships are administered by the Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation and each award is $1,000, and may be awarded for a second year, if the recipients qualify.