Klingensmith Scholarship

In October of 1983, the Trustees and various Klingensmith Trusts created a scholarship to further the higher education of working high school students residing in Ford City who chose to study in the field of pharmacy.

Trustees funded the scholarship with $40,000, designated it as "The Klingensmith Fund," and authorized representatives of the Armstrong School District to invest and reinvest said principal sum and use the income to benefit any eligible student selected by the School District Representatives.

The Trustees further directed that in February of 2007, the School District was to use the Klingensmith Fund's principal and income in its sole discretion to further the interests of the "high school in Ford City" and giving adequate consideration to pharmacological education.

The Klingensmith Trusts that established the Klingensmith Fund no longer existed; and there no longer being a high school in Ford City, the CEO of Klingensmith Drug Stores, David J. Cippel, requested that the School District transfer the balance of the Klingensmith Fund to The Community Foundation Serving the Heart of Western Pennsylvania (the Armstrong County Community Foundation), a public nonprofit corporation, for the purpose of establishing student scholarships.

The Community Foundation Serving the Heart of Western Pennsylvania (the Armstrong County Community Foundation) willingly accepted. The Armstrong School District transferred the remaining principal and income of the Klingensmith Fund to The Community Foundation Serving the Heart of Western Pennsylvania (the Armstrong County Community Foundation) for the purpose of establishing college scholarships.

Scholarship Details

• Available to High School Seniors or Adult Students
• Nonrenewable
• Approximately $3,750 available
• Applicant must:
  • Be a graduating senior from Armstrong School District or Lenape Tech, or an adult student in the healthcare field (with preference given to a major in Pharmacy)
  • College student(s) must be a resident of Armstrong School District
  • Be enrolled to attend an accredited college, university, or other post-secondary institution in the United States

All applicants must complete the online scholarship application, including his/her response to the following essay question.

Essay Question

Please write a personal statement of no more than one page expressing your reasons for choosing a career in pharmacy or healthcare, including your career aspirations and goals.  You may incorporate any role-models you've had and the criteria you believe comprise a quality professional in your field.  Please provide any work experience that you have had currently or in the past.

Past Recipients

• 2020-21 Elizabeth John & Taylor Relich
• 2021-22 Taylor Relich & Justin Smulik
• 2022-23 Olivia Pawk & Emily Cornman