The enthusiasm in their voices can still be heard nearly two years after receiving the Richard T. Liddicoat (RTL) Scholarship award. Wayne Houser and Jeanie Hord-Bellows are both thankful for the award they say has helped set their careers in new directions by allowing them to complete the Graduate Gemologist program.  

"I remain elated and very appreciative to have had the opportunity to participate in the G.G. program in Carlsbad," says Houser, who works as an appraiser and sales associate in Visalia, California. "It has given me a whole new career path. I'm a gemologist now, and I'm honored to be associated with GIA."

Hord-Bellows completed the program through Distance Education and says the experience helped her understand and appreciate Liddicoat's many contributions, which have provided her new opportunities.

"I had some knowledge of Mr. Liddicoat before receiving the scholarship, but I have learned so much more about him," she says. "He helped pave the way for students like me to receive an education in gemology, and now this scholarship has helped my dreams of owning my own business and becoming a jewelry designer come true."

The RTL Scholarship Campaign was launched in 2004 to raise funds for two full scholarships every year - one for an On Campus student in Carlsbad, and a second through Distance Education.

It's organized by the GIA Alumni Association and relies on corporate matching donors and individual scholarship donors - many of them GIA alumni - to support students in financial need. The Institute has already begun to receive donations for the 2006 campaign, but additional funds are needed to provide the scholarships, says Bev Hayes Ross, Donor Relations manager.

"This year's campaign is off to a fantastic start and we're still looking for companies and individuals who want to invest in the future of the industry and in the lives of students at GIA," she says. "It's hard to overstate the impact that an opportunity like this can have on them. It can, quite literally, change their lives."

GIA Vice President of Education Brook Ellis, who presented Robert S. Lindsay and Richard "Dan" Waltman with the 2005 RTL Scholarships in Tucson, says the value of these donations reaches beyond a dollar amount.

"A GIA education gives students a foundation for success," Ellis says. "It provides them with the tools they need to launch a new career, or increase their confidence and expertise in their current positions."

Donors to the RTL Scholarship Campaign give for a variety of reasons. Kalpesh Jhaveri, G.G., CEO of K.R. Gems & Diamonds, supported the fund-raising effort as the matching gift donor in 2004 to honor Liddicoat and his contributions to the industry.

"Mr. Liddicoat is an icon in our industry," Jhaveri says. "He, along with Mr. Glenn Nord [former GIA president] and Mr. Bill Boyajian [current GIA president], set a standard and an example for the whole industry, so we try to support GIA in every way we can."

Next year's scholarships will be awarded in February during GIA's Industry Awards Presentation in Tucson. To apply for the RTL Scholarship, contact Bruce Honer at (800) 421-7250, ext. 4175, or visit www.gia.edu. Applications for the 2006 scholarships must be submitted by Oct. 15, 2005. For information on how to donate to the 2006 RTL Scholarship Campaign, contact Donor Relations Manager Bev Hayes Ross at (760) 603-4120, or e-mail: bev.ross@gia.edu.