Forty Under 40: Rodney R. Nathan

Rodney Nathan was working in Dallas in 2004 when his longtime friend and classmate Eddie Armstrong came to him with a plan to create scholarships for students from single-parent households.

Nathan told Armstrong he could count on him. When he got the call in February 2006, Armstrong packed up and moved back to Fayetteville, recruiting fellow North Little Rock High alum Patrick Vaden and Jimmy Scales of Hughes High to join them.

They launched their “20 by 08” drive with the goal to raise $20,000 by 2008 to fund their first scholarship. EASF has held several fundraisers and gathered $30,000 to award its first University of Arkansas scholarship in time for the 2009 school year.

They will be offering 25 to 30 tours of the campus per week once school begins for high school students from all over the state. Nathan said EASF plans to focus on central and southern Arkansas, where many have never seen the UA.

Emphasis will be on meeting faculty and students, as well as education about the many other scholarship opportunities available. Retaining minority students will also be a focus, Nathan said, with mentoring offered to help acclimate to college life.

“Nothing comes easy,” Nathan, 31, said. “Things take longer than you expect, but you have to stay with it. We did, and now we’re making it happen.”