The Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers Association is pleased to able to offer two Rudolph Grob Memorial Scholarships each year to a child or grandchild of a PVGA member who is pursuing higher education with the goal of working in production agriculture.  For 2019, five scholarships will be available since only one scholarship was awarded in 2017 and none in 2018 due to lack of applicants.

The Association gives the annual scholarships in the amount of $1,000 in memory of Rudolph Grob of Millersville who served the Association for 50 years as a Director, 20 years as Secretary Treasurer and for over 20 years as manager of the Association’s Farm Show Booth.  Mr. Grob was a horticulture graduate of Penn State University who was employed for many years at Funks Farm Market in Millersville.  The funds for the scholarships are generated by a portion of the interest earned by the Association’s Keystone Fund, an endowment-type fund created by the voluntary extra dues paid the Keystone Members of the Association.

The purpose of the scholarships is to assist children and grandchildren of Association members in obtaining a degree that will enable them to pursue a career in the vegetable, potato or berry production industries.  Applicants must meet the following criteria:

– be the child or grandchild of an Association member who has been a member in good standing for at least one year

– be enrolled in a two-year or four-year degree program;

– be in good academic standing; and

– be intent on pursuing a career in the vegetable, potato, or berry production industries.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2019 scholarships.  The deadline is March 31, 2019.  Applications are reviewed by the Association’s Scholarship Committee which determines who receives the scholarships.  The current committee members are:  Carolyn Beinlich, Keith Eckel, Curtis Kaelin, Michael Orzolek and Hilary Schramm, Jr.

The $1,000 scholarships are awarded for a one-year period. Recipients may apply for a renewal although preference will be given to other qualified students over previous recipients.  It is not a need-based scholarship.  Payment of the funds is made directly to the institution.

The following items must be included with a completed application form:

□ A copy of the most recent academic transcript.

□ Two letters of reference from someone outside of the immediate family.

□ A typed essay (approximately 500 words) on one of the following topics:

  • Describe the biggest issue that has faced the Vegetable/Potato/Berry Industry in Pennsylvania in the last five years or that the Industry will face in the next five years and how you plan to deal with this issue in your future career, or
  • Describe your previous experiences with the Vegetable/Potato/Berry Industry and the role you hope to play in the Pennsylvania Vegetable/Potato/Berry Industry upon graduation.

Applications must be received or postmarked by March 31, 2019, and are available by contacting PVGA at 717-694-3596 or pvga@pvga.org. The application is also available here. The committee may request to interview the applicant in person or by telephone as well as contact college or school advisors and/or references. If you have a child or grandchild in college, encourage them to apply for the scholarships.