Our History
In 1962, after learning that a Marine World War II Medal of Honor recipient could not afford to send his child to college, Brigadier General Martin F. Rockmore and a small group of his Marine friends in the New York area decided to take on the task of helping the children of Marines achieve their dream of higher education. General Rockmore and his Band of Brothers decided to organize a charity ball and use the proceeds to provide scholarship assistance. In December of that year, the first “Leatherneck Ball” was held in New York City and enough funds were raised to award one $1,500 scholarship.
In the ensuing years, through an enormous volunteer effort, the Foundation expanded its activities across the country. Golf tournaments were started, other scholarship balls were organized, and volunteers held small gatherings in their homes and other locations to help spread the word and raise the financial resources to carry on the Foundation's work. The Foundation's appeal was straightforward: Youth, Education and the Values that have made our Corps and country great. As a result, there are now four scholarship balls held each year in New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, and Los Angeles. Additionally, seventeen golf tournaments are organized each year from coast to coast. (Click here to see our event listing.)
Looking back now, more than four decades later, the strength of that appeal is still instrumental in the Foundation’s success. In 2007, almost $3.5 million was awarded in scholarships to 1,044 eligible students in all 50 states of the union!
Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded over $34.6 million in financial assistance for education. This includes over 20,000 scholarships worth in excess of $31 million to deserving young applicants, as well as education bonds worth $3.6 million to 353 children who lost a parent in the line of duty, either as a result of the 1983 terrorist attack on the Marine Barracks in Beirut or during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. These bonds were awarded regardless of the branch of service of the parent.
Since 9/11, the Foundation has committed to providing financial assistance in the form of scholarships to every child of a Marine, and every child of a Navy Corpsmen serving with the Marines, whose parent is killed in the ongoing Global War on Terror. As of February 29, 2008, this commitment is represented in the future education of 357 children of Marines and 19 children of Navy Corpsmen killed in this ongoing war on terrorism.
All of these endeavors have evolved as a result of the vision of the founders, the dedication of the volunteers, the generosity of the individuals, corporations, organizations, and other foundations that support the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, and because our focus has remained clear and concise for over 45 years: Honoring Marines by Educating their ChildrenTM.
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