To be eligible for the Merle Hinkle Memorial Scholarship, applicants must: be a current high school senior or a college freshmen; and be a member in good standing of Kelly Community Federal Credit Union (KCFCU), and/or be related to an immediate family member in good standing at KCFCU. (Immediate family is defined as: spouse, father/mother, father-in-law/mother-in-law, sister/brother, sister-in-law/brother-in-law, son/daughter, step-parent, step-siblings, step-children, grandparent/spouse’s grandparent.)
Applicants will be judged based on, but not limited to, the following criteria: GPA, academic achievement, community involvement, leadership, recommendation letters and an essay. Mr. Hinkle unselfishly volunteered at our credit union for over 34 years. Mr. Hinkle embraced the credit union’s need to branch out to meet the needs of members and the community as a whole. Shortly before his death in April 2002, Mr. Hinkle helped secure the land that would eventually become the new 10,000 square foot main office on Grande Boulevard in Tyler. Many Kelly Community employees remember Mr. Hinkle as “a great man to work for that cared for credit union members and employees.”