Even though Bob Ramsey graduated at the top of his class, he had no intention of attending college. The rural mountain town of Clarkrange, Tenn., where he grew up offered no scholarship opportunities. No other members of his family had ever gone to college, and his parents couldn't afford it. But then the Elks came into his life and changed it forever. Last September, Ramsey's life came full circle when he made a gift to the Elks National Foundation-41 years after the ENF awarded him a scholarship that afforded him the opportunity to attend Tennessee Technological University.

"I would not, could not, have gone to college without the Elks National Foundation scholarship," says Ramsey. "I've always remembered what the Elks did for me."

Ramsey planned to join the army after graduating high school, but his school principal, whose friend was a member of the Nashville, Tenn., Elks Lodge 100 miles away, gave him another option. He handed Ramsey a Most Valuable Student scholarship application for the 1965 competition. Ramsey won a $700 scholarship that, when coupled with work-study pay and working several jobs, made college financially viable.

One Giant Leap for Ramsey Heading off to TTU was a big leap for Ramsey, and the next four years wouldn't be easy. While taking a full course load to earn his degree in secondary education to teach biology and chemistry, Ramsey worked for the Chemistry Department and for the College of Engineering. He also ran a night shift at Royal Crown Cola Bottling Company, and would come home to an 8-foot by 12-foot room in a basement that he rented for $35 a month. Without a car, he pushed a mower and carried a gas can around town to mow lawns for extra cash.

"I learned the value of a work ethic and the importance of education" says Ramsey. "The Elks set that in motion."

After graduating from TTU, Ramsey took his diligence with him and enrolled at the Nashville School of Law. While attending night classes, he worked full time as an insurance claims adjustor and raised a family with his high school sweetheart. After finishing the four-year program on time, he headed back to his hometown to practice law and has been doing so in small Tennessee towns ever since.

"Even a little education can change your life," says Ramsey. "An education for one person very often creates a cycle of good and productive citizens for succeeding generations."

Leading toward Learning Ramsey lives by his beliefs and says he often leads by example. Over the years, he's donated to his alma maters and has helped create several scholarship programs. While attending his high school's alumni banquet, he decided to create a scholarship for the school and made sure every graduating senior received an application.

"The Elks scholarship inspired and motivated me to pay back my community in the same way," says Ramsey.

In August, Ramsey and his wife traveled to Brea, Calif., to attend her aunt's 90th birthday party. While at the event, Ramsey started chatting with Mike Wisener, his wife's cousin's husband. The conversation quickly turned to the Elks. With great enthusiasm, Wisener, a member of Temecula Valley, Calif., Lodge, told Ramsey about the Elks scholarship programs and his Lodge's great commitment to support the programs. Wisener had no idea Ramsey had been a recipient of an ENF scholarship decades ago.

Ramsey had always intended to make a donation to the ENF but other charities and local organizations caught his attention first. Wisener's passion for the scholarship programs inspired Ramsey to make a generous gift in his honor to the ENF. He kept it a surprise from Wisener until the Lodge presented him with a certificate announcing the gift at a Lodge meeting.

"The Elks have been so gracious to me," says Ramsey."You folks really do make a difference in many people's lives."

For information about the Most Valuable Student Scholarship contest and the ENF's two other scholarship programs, visit www.elks.org/enf/scholars/ourscholarships.cfm.