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Captain Bruce D. Rutherford Scholarship established

07 August 2019

The Morehead State University Foundation has announced the establishment of the Captain Bruce D. Rutherford Scholarship Endowment, a fund to benefit MSU students. The scholarship's first recipient is Victoria Akers, a freshman veterinary science and biology major from Harlan County. Her goal is to become a veterinarian.

"Receiving this scholarship will have a huge impact on me," Akers said. "It helped determine whether or not I would get the chance to go to college."

The scholarship's namesake is Captain Bruce D. Rutherford (71), a native of Pineville. He graduated from Bell County High School in 1967 and went on to complete his Bachelor of Science degree from MSU in 1971. Rutherford entered the United States Navy, where he served in various administrative roles responsible for coordinating logistical blood support for facilities. He became the director of the Navy Blood Program at the Navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery in Washington, D.C., and later the director of the Armed Services Blood Program, where he coordinated the blood programs of the Army, Navy and Air Force. During his time in the military, Rutherford received numerous honors, and in 2013, he was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Armed Services Blood Program.

"A scholarship provided a path for me to attend MSU and to obtain my dreams of providing service to those in need, to serve my country and to be a better person," Rutherford said. "This scholarship is my way of paying it forward to those students in Bell and Harlan Counties who might need a little push to take that leap forward."

The recipient of the Rutherford Scholarship must be a full-time, incoming freshman from Bell County or Harlan County and have a minimum high school GPA of 3.0. The scholarship is renewable as long as a 3.0 cumulative GPA and full-time status are maintained.

To apply for scholarships at Morehead State, visit www.moreheadstate.edu/scholarships.

For more information on this scholarship, or to establish your own, contact MSU's Office of Alumni Relations and Development at 606-783-2033, email giving@moreheadstate.edu or visit alumni.moreheadstate.edu/give to contribute today.