Alumnus and Wife Endow Two Scholarships at University of Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The top executive at Fairchild Semiconductor International and his wife recently demonstrated their love of education through a major gift to the University of Arkansas.

Kirk and Nancy Pond of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, have given Fairchild Semiconductor stock, valued at approximately $250,000, to establish two endowed scholarships. One scholarship is designated to the Sam M. Walton College of Business Administration and named the Adele Kirkpatrick and Chester L. Pond Endowed Scholarship in memory of Kirk’s parents. 

The other scholarship is the Loretta Thompson Pond Endowed Scholarship in the College of Education and Health Professions, named in honor of Kirk’s late wife, Loretta, who died of cancer in 1995. Loretta Thompson Pond graduated from the College of Education and Health Professions in 1966.

Chancellor John A. White said, "We are deeply grateful that the Ponds have chosen to remember the University of Arkansas. The endowed scholarships help us achieve multiple goals for the University. First, they assist in recruiting high ability students; second, they contribute toward our goal of increasing the size of the UA endowment; and third, they are wonderful examples of alumni making a difference by giving back to the University that did so much for them."

Vice Chancellor for Advancement G. David Gearhart said, "This gift means a great deal to the University of Arkansas and its students, the future leaders of our state and nation. It also brings us closer to our goal of increasing the quality of our student body."

Kirk Pond, a 1966 graduate of the electrical engineering program in the UA College of Engineering, is a native of Stuttgart and was born in Fort Smith. He also holds an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business. He is currently the CEO, president and chairman of the board of Fairchild Semiconductor, South Portland, Maine. He was the commencement speaker at the College of Engineering’s 1999 graduation and currently serves on the Engineering Advisory Council. During his career, Kirk has worked for Timex, Texas Instruments and National Semiconductor before joining Fairchild Semiconductor.

Nancy Pond is a graduate of St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia and the University of Southern Maine. She has worked in education for over 25 years, teaching elementary school and serving as a public school principal for 10 years. The Ponds have established a scholarship in honor of Nancy's parents, Margaret and Leslie Topshee, at St. Francis Xavier University. Les was a member of the board of trustees for six years and is still active at the university.

Addressing a group of family members at a luncheon announcing the scholarships, Mr. Pond said, "This gift represents a coming together of business and education. My sister, Candy Pond Ennis, and my brother, Phillip Pond, agree that both our mother and father set education as a high priority for us and for their grandchildren (Joel, Kyle, Erin, Ryan, Kathleen, Amanda and Lindsay). My mother went into business at an early age, was a great admirer of Sam Walton and taught me a lot about business. My father encouraged all of us to get the best education possible, and we three learned a great deal about business from him. He stressed, 'The customer is king,’ — a principle I emphasize in my business today."

Adele Kirkpatrick Pond attended the University of Arkansas, but was unable to complete senior graduation requirements when her father became ill and she was needed at home to care for her younger brother and sister. Throughout her married life, Adele was active preparing for and teaching Sunday school. She also served as the president of the state chapter of the PTA. She established and ran her own women’s clothing business in Stuttgart. Chester Pond was valedictorian of his high school class and graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1940 with a BSBA. He established, owned and ran a men’s clothing store in Stuttgart and served the community as a Rotarian

Dean Doyle Z. Williams said, "The Adele Kirkpatrick and Chester L. Pond Endowed Scholarship fund will be very helpful to the Walton College in reaching its goal of attracting academically able students to its programs. High quality students attract other high quality students and contribute enormously to the Walton College's goal of being a nationally ranked business college." The Walton College will offer two four-year scholarships at $3,000 each to two incoming freshmen. The scholarship will be designated for those who are not fully qualified for a Chancellor’s Scholarship, but are most deserving of a merit scholarship. Selection will be based on the student’s potential of success in the study of business, GPA, ACT score and other general scholarship criteria.

Kirk met Loretta on the University of Arkansas campus while they were both undergraduates. Their senior year, after they had decided to get married, she insisted he take a marriage and family course in the College of Education. Although he made an "A", in order to complete requirements for graduation from the College of Engineering, Kirk had to attend summer school. Thus their names appear on senior walk sections of the University for 1966/67 respectively. Loretta initiated the teaching of Jr. Great Books as a second year teacher in New Jersey. For her outstanding teaching practice, she was named Teacher of the Year by the state of New Jersey. Loretta taught school for many years and served on a school board in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, for six years. While serving as chair of the school board, she raised funds to build a new school, and for her dedication to education she was recognized by the town of Cape Elizabeth as Citizen of the Year in 1993.

Sharon Hunt, interim dean for the College of Education and Health Professions, said, "We are grateful to the Ponds, both for their support of individual students through the Loretta Thompson Pond Endowed Scholarship and also for the vote of confidence implied by their endowment."

Preference for the Loretta Thompson Pond Scholarship will be given to graduate students seeking to earn a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), which students must earn before they can be recommended for certification.

Hunt added, "Students who graduate from the MAT program are among the best educators in Arkansas. The MAT program is of tremendous value to our students and to our state because there is a shortage of teachers. This scholarship will provide the financial aid needed to encourage a student to stay to pursue the MAT degree."

The Ponds have eight children and one grandchild.