USS Scorpion (SSN 589) Scholarship Endowment Drive
On May 22, 1968, USS Scorpion (SSN 589) was lost on its way home to Norfolk after a Mediterranean deployment during the Cold War. All ninety-nine men aboard perished in the incident. In anticipation of the 55th anniversary, a lead donation was made to establish the USS Scorpion (SSN 589) Scholarship – a named Dolphin Scholarship open to qualified children and spouses of the members or former members of the Submarine Force or those who have served in submarine support activities.
A lead gift of $17,500 made by a donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, kicks off the USS Scorpion (SSN 589) Scholarship endowment drive. The donor has pledged to match donations up to $43,500 to fully endow the scholarship at $87,500. The goal is to fund the scholarship while marking the 55th anniversary of tragedy on May 22, 2023.
Although no donation is too small or too large, in honor of those who served on Scorpion, the following donation levels listed below have been established:
Remember the year: $19.68
Mark the passage of time: $55.00
Honor the souls lost onboard: $99.00
Tribute to USS Scorpion (SSN 589): $589.00
Donations may be made HERE or mailed to the Dolphin Scholarship Foundation office at 4966 Euclid Rd Suite 109, Virginia Beach, VA 23462. Thank you for honoring the men standing watch on eternal patrol on USS Scorpion.
Learn About Dolphin Scholarship Foundation
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A Note from Our Executive Director
Hello DSF Family!
I want to take a moment to address a perception that I have encountered from time to time when talking with fellow submariners and submarine community spouse groups. The perception that I am speaking of is that some members our community believe that the Dolphin Scholarship Program is only for or gives preference to the children and spouses of submarine officers. I want to officially go on the record as saying that it could not be further from the truth, and if it were true, this retired senior chief submariner would have no part of it.
The only role that sponsors serve in the Dolphin Scholarship application process, whether they be officer or enlisted, is to establish eligibility for the applicant to apply for the scholarship. The scholar selection process is blind. Once the scholarship application is complete it is redacted of the names of the applicant and his/her sponsor, and any other identifying information before presentation to the scholar selection committee for scoring. Scholarship applications are evaluated in the areas of academic performance, references, essay, extracurricular activities, work experience, and community involvement.
For many years now, our scholar selection committees have included active-duty senior enlisted leaders throughout the submarine community. I am sure that they can attest to my claim, and I urge them to assist me in busting this myth by getting the word out to the enlisted submarine community. Although the ratio of officer versus enlisted sponsored scholarship recipients varies from year to year, data compiled over the last 38 years reflect a nearly fifty/fifty split between officer and enlisted sponsored scholarship recipients. The 2022 Dolphin Scholar Selection Profile on the following page is reflective of this.
I am speaking directly to the enlisted submarine community when I say do not let false rumors discourage you from applying for the Dolphin Scholarship. Doing so would only deprive your children or spouse of a fantastic opportunity to achieve their educational goals with less financial burden.
The Dolphin Scholarship Foundation is here to serve the “entire” submarine community. The Dolphin Scholarship online application opens on October 1 and closes on March 15 each year. October is only a few months away, so now is the time to start gathering the information needed to apply such as the sponsor’s history of duty assignments for a minimum 8-year period, or 10-year period for non-submarine designated personnel who served in submarine support assignments, copy 4 of the DD214, proof of dependency, and high school/college transcripts etc. For additional scholarship information please visit the DSF website at https://dolphinscholarship.org/scholarships/
Please help spread the word about the Dolphin Scholarship Program. I wish you all the best!
Hooyah Submarine Force!!
Andrew Clark, MBA, CFRE
Executive Director
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