Oliver K. Hobbs, Sr. STEM Scholarship
This scholarship was started in memory of Oliver K. Hobbs, Sr., by his son, Oliver “Kermit” Hobbs, Jr.
A native of Hobbsville, NC, Oliver Kermit Hobbs, Sr., was born to Ephriam Jackson and Sarah Frances Hobbs. He co-founded Hobbs-Adams Engineering, known today as AMADAS Industries, and he worked privately and on government councils to develop business and improve conditions in Sudan, Israel, Egypt, Japan, China, and other countries.
Mr. Hobbs was a prolific inventor and holder of numerous patents, mostly for agricultural and Industrial machinery. He was a Navy veteran of World War II, was a member of Hobbsville Baptist Church and attended First Baptist Church Suffolk. Mr. Hobbs was also a member of the Suffolk Rotary Club, a director of the Suffolk Crime Line, a charter member and past president of the King’s Fork Ruritan Club, past president of the Nansemond Cotillion Club, honorary member of the Cosmopolitan Club, charter member of the Suffolk-Nansemond Historical Society, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the Archeological Institute of America.
Throughout his life, Mr. Hobbs was honored in numerous ways such as being proclaimed the First Citizen of Suffolk in 1989, having the Suffolk campus of Paul D. Camp Community College named in his honor, and receiving an honorary Associate Degree in Humane Letters from Paul D. Camp Community College. He received the Horace Hayden Memorial Trophy for improvements in cotton ginning systems, Small Businessman-of-the-Year from the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, and an ASAE Award for contributions to the advancement in agricultural machinery.
Mr. Hobbs was a devoted and loving family man. He was married to Frances Piland Hobbs for 57 years, and was the father of Oliver Kermit Hobbs Jr., and Cynthia Hobbs Baker.
Scholarship Criteria
To be considered for this scholarship, the applicant must:
- Be a resident of Suffolk, Franklin, Isle of Wight County, Southampton County, or Gates County (NC).
- Be a graduating senior from a public, private, or home school in Suffolk, Franklin, Isle of Wight, Southampton, or Gates County, OR be a college student from that area, currently enrolled in a STEM curriculum in an accredited college or university.
- Plan to enroll (or continue enrollment) at an accredited two-year or four-year college or university full-time in the fall.
- Plan to seek a degree in a STEM curriculum (see below).
For this scholarship, we are particularly looking for students who aspire to a career in innovation, and who plan to study:
- one of the natural sciences (as opposed to social science)
- technology (i.e., the application of scientific principles for practical purposes)
- engineering (i.e., using natural science, mathematics, and engineering design to solve technical problems and to develop new systems)
- mathematics (i.e., the study of numbers and their relationships)
Examples of acceptable majors include engineering (all fields), biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, statistics, computer science, information technology.
Recipients
2024: Mason Ternes, Nansemond River High School
Scholarship Application, Deadline, and Submission Instructions
The Oliver K. Hobbs, Sr. STEM Scholarship utilizes the Suffolk Foundation’s common scholarship application form, which opens online on February 10, 2025. The application must be submitted online before the deadline of 11:59 pm, March 21, 2025. For more information, contact the Foundation staff at office@suffolkfoundation.