Friends fund Sam M. Sicard scholarship at UAFS

It didn’t take long for friends of the late Sam M. Sicard to do something to recognize the legacy of the Fort Smith banker who is credited for doing much for the growth of the Fort Smith region.

Chris Whitt and Neal Pendergraft, directors on the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith Foundation Board, have established the Sam M. Sicard Scholarship Endowment with the UAFS Foundation to honor Sicard’s memory.

“Mr. Sicard funded many scholarships through the UAFS Foundation but never one named for himself. That is why Chris and Neal felt so strongly about doing it,” said Dr. Marta Loyd, vice chancellor for university advancement and executive director of the UAFS Foundation.

Sicard, chairman, president and CEO of First National Bank of Fort Smith, died Sunday (Aug. 7). He was 70. An estimated 700 attended Sicard’s funeral mass held Wednesday (Aug. 10).

Sicard was elected president of the large regional bank holding company in 1977 and eventually added the title of bank board chairman. During his tenure, the bank saw remarkable growth. In 1989, the bank was formed into a holding company — First Bank Corp. — and acquired National Bank of Sallisaw, Citizens Bank & Trust of Van Buren, Bank of Rogers and Brown-Hiller-Clark & Associates.

“They realize that you may have already made a memorial gift to another organization, but if you are still considering what to do, they asked that I invite you to join them in this effort. They started the fund with a combined gift of $7,500 and hope to build it up to at least $25,000,” Loyd explained in an e-mail to friends of the Foundation.

Loyd told The City Wire “many others have stepped up” following the $7,500 donated by Whitt and Pendergraft.

“Many who have committed have responded via email saying ‘I’ll mail my check this week,’ so we don’t know the gift amounts yet,” Loyd said.

Loyd said $25,000 is a minimum for a UAFS scholarship endowment at UAFS. She said that amount doesn’t provide a full scholarship but may be paired with other funds to help a student pay for college. She said most of the UAFS private scholarships are not a “full ride,” and are considered a “supplement” based on academic potential and financial need.

Loyd said Sam T. Sicard, son of Sam M. Sicard and executive vice president of First National Bank of Fort Smith, requested the scholarship be available for a business major.

“He felt like this was the perfect way to honor his dad’s commitment to our university and especially to those students pursuing a career in business,” Loyd said.

Loyd also provided a quote from Whitt about funding the scholarship: "Needless to say, I am saddened by the loss of a great friend of UAFS and a huge driver in our city. I have never seen anyone so willing to give his time to the community as well as his financial generosity. He never said no. I would like to make a contribution in memory of Mr. Sicard to help those he has helped so much through the years."
 
To make a memorial gift to the fund, make a check payable to UAFS Foundation Inc., and write Sam M. Sicard Scholarship Endowment on the memo line or on an attached memo. The mailing address is: UAFS Foundation, P.O. Box 3649, Fort Smith, AR 72913-3649.