The Daily Times
Maryville resident Eric W. Barton has pledged $1 million to the University of Tennessee for scholarships for children of law enforcement officers in the Knoxville area.
The area includes Knox, Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Grainger, Loudon, Morgan, Roane and Union counties.
Barton is a retired Marine and business owner. While he owns multiple businesses, his largest business is Vanquish Worldwide.
Barton, who supports the U.S. Marine Corps Foundation scholarship program, decided to help in a more local manner, while also supporting law enforcement officers and their families. That is where the Barton Silver Shield Scholarship Endowment came to be.
The university will not be able to start awarding the scholarships for a few years. The gift is coming from land that has yet to sell. Once the university has the money, the generation of funds will take around a year, the school said in a press release.
All children of law enforcement officers going to UT are eligible to receive scholarships. However, preference will be given to law enforcement officers’ children who are pursuing undergraduate degrees in law enforcement, forensics or intelligence. Preference also will be given to students that have larger financial needs.
It is estimated that the endowment will yield about $45,000 per year. It is yet to be determined exactly how many scholarships will be available for awarding per year, UT officials said.