FNBC awards 2019 Boyd & Maxine Carpenter Scholarship to ICC grad

Pictured left to right: Maura Thomason (center), a 2019 graduate of Izard County Consolidated, is presented with the Boyd & Maxine Carpenter Scholarship from FNBC by Martin Carpenter (left), FNBC Chairman of the board, and Molly Carpenter (right), FNBC Vice President of Marketing. Boyd and Maxine were Martin’s parents and Molly’s grandparents.

Maura Thomason, a graduate of Izard County Consolidated, has been selected as the recipient of the Boyd & Maxine Carpenter Scholarship, awarded annually by FNBC Bank. This is the 35th year for the $4,000 scholarship.

Thomason completed her high school education with a 4.01 GPA and is enrolled at Williams Baptist University in Walnut Ridge. She plans to major in Biology with an emphasis in medicine and minor in criminology. Her plans are to attend medical school after completing her Bachelor’s degree and return to serve her community.

A member of the ICC Lady Cougars Basketball Team while in high school, Thomason will continue her basketball career at Williams Baptist. She was also involved with Track, Quiz Bowl, BETA Club, Bowling, Key Club, Softball, FCCLA, C.H.A.S.E., Student Council, Fire Marshall, FFA, and served as Class Treasurer and Vice President.

She has also received numerous academic awards.

An outside committee was selected to review all applicants and conduct interviews with their top candidates.

Established in 1984, the Boyd Carpenter Scholarship honors the late-FNBC Bank President and Chairman of the Board who was a devoted advocate of education. This year, the scholarship was renamed to include Boyd’s wife and long-time FNBC employee, Maxine. She retired from FNBC after serving almost 40 years in several positions, including Teller, Bookkeeping Supervisor, Assistant Cashier and Assistant Vice President over Operations.

Boyd & Maxine’s son, Martin, currently serves as Chairman, and their granddaughter, Molly, serves as Vice President of Marketing.

The Arkansas Community Foundation manages the scholarship endowment fund.

Graduating seniors from Izard, Fulton and Sharp County are eligible to apply. Renewable up to four years, the recipient must maintain a 2.5 GPA on a 4-point scale, or equivalent.