The scholarship is being established by Warren and Brammie Cook of Kingfield, Maine. The Scholarship Foundation annually awards over 10 scholarships to children in Maine and over 1400 nationally. The $2,500 scholarship will be given first preference to a Maine high school student who is a child of a Marine, in coordination with the Scholarship Foundation. 

 

Colonel Lafond is a retired Marine from Skowhegan, Maine where he was born and brought up. He joined the Marine Corps in 1942 and served in WWII in the Pacific on Okinawa as a rifleman and then after going through officer training, he served in Korea followed by two tours in Vietnam, including the post of commanding officer of the Third Marine Regiment. He retired from the Marine Corps in 1970.

 

Warren Cook, also a retired Marine, calls Lafond "a Marine's Marine, and one of the most honest and purposeful men I have ever known." Cook said, "He is a leader of men, and I will always hold the highest respect for him. My wife and I are honored that he commissioned our son, who is a career Marine officer, currently serving as Commanding Officer, Recruiting Station Los Angeles.

 

"I am delighted that Warren and Brammie chose to name this scholarship after me," said Lafond. "The important thing isn't the name, however, it's that it will help a Marine family from Maine to send their child to college. This gift makes me proud to be a Marine and it makes me proud to be their friend." 

 

For nearly 50 years, the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has helped accomplish what many Marines cannot - enabling their children to pursue dreams of a college education. Since 1962, the Scholarship Foundation has provided academic scholarships to the children of Marines, and Navy Corpsmen serving with Marines, whose parent has been killed or wounded in action or are in financial need. More than 24,000 scholarships, valued at $50 million, have helped set positive, new paths for these young men and women while honoring our nation's brave Marines and Corpsmen. For more information, go to www.mcsf.org.