When RG Bouchum learned to read in his late 70s, after nearly a lifetime with less than a fourth-grade education, there was suddenly no stopping him. It was a glorious day for daughter Dorothy Jones when she received an e-mail—the first written correspondence he’d ever sent her—but soon he topped that by writing a book, “One Man, One Book,” about his life.

RG and his wife Onnie Bouchum valued education, says professor emeritus Dorothy Jones, who retired as assistant to the chancellor for equal opportunity in 2001. After Onnie passed away a few years ago, Dorothy says, “I wanted to do something to honor my parents, neither of whom had any high school experience, but they inspired others to continue learning,”  so she created a scholarship in their name.

RG (“he says his name stood for “Real Good,” laughs Dorothy) encouraged more than a few people to go back to school, including a friend of Dorothy’s sister, a single mom who completed her education and is now a teacher.

Sadly, RG passed away in November 2007 at age 90. A regular attendee of the UAF Scholarship Breakfast, he was honored in the program and missed by all at his table. But because of the RG and Onnie V. Bouchum Multicultural Scholarship, and the devotion of his daughter Dorothy and other family and friends, his example continues to motivate and move UAF students.

Long-time Alaskan and UAF supporter and alumnus Neil Davis is the author of many technical articles written during his years as a scientist with NASA and the Geophysical Institute, UAF. In 1976, he began a regular newspaper column illuminating aspects of science for the general public which became the book Alaska Science Nuggets. Neil Davis writes fiction as well, and readers have found it just as appealing and enjoyable as his nonfiction. Just published is a nonfiction book, Mired in the Health Care Morass, in which he discusses the problems of health care in the United States.

While studying geology at UAF, Neil’s own education was launched because of a modest Sears-Roebuck scholarship. “I had no qualifications other than poverty for receiving it, but it was the awareness that someone else was willing to help me get an education that did more for me than the actual money.”

At the “Rise & Shine to the Best & the Brightest,” our 11th annual Scholarship Breakfast held April 8, 2008, Dr. Davis gave this heart-warming speech.