History of the Dolphin Scholarship Foundation

The Dolphin Scholarship Foundation (DSF) was established in 1961 by the Submarine Officers Wives' Club and originally was only open to children of active duty Submarine Officers. In 1962 the program was extended to include the children of all active duty submariners, enlisted and officers. Over the years the charter was further broadened and today DSF grants are available, on a competitive basis, to high school or college children/stepchildren (unmarried, up to age 24) of: (1) members or former members of the Submarine Force who have qualified in submarines and have served in the Submarine Force for at least eight years; or (2) Navy members who have served in submarine support activities (e.g. sub-bases, tenders, and rescue vessels) for a minimum of ten years. The ten years need not be consecutive. Qualifying time must have been served on active duty; inactive or Selected Naval Reserve time cannot be used to establish eligibility. There is no minimum period of service for sponsors who died on active duty while in the Submarine Force.

The first grants were for $350.00. The amount and the number of students supported have continued to grow to the current level of $3000.00 per year for over 100 students. More than $3.30 million has been awarded to more than 649 students since the program's inception.

The scholarships are renewed automatically for up to 4 years of undergraduate study, as long as the students remain in good standing at the college or university they are attending. The DSF received over 1500 requests for their application this past year. The heart warming thank you notes they receive from many recipients lend validity to the need for the support received from all the submarine force activities.

The original agreement between the DSF and the U.S. Submarine Veterans of WWII (SUBVETS WWII) signed in 1991 assumed that by the year 2000 there no longer would be any SUBVET WWII children eligible for scholarship grants. When this occurred, the remaining funds would be turned over to DSF and they would issue a perpetual scholarship award from the interest earned in memory of the SUBVETS WWII. The increased donation (primarily from the estate of member Arnold Krippendorf) increased the annual interest and it was agreed by both parties that three annual perpetual awards be made: 1) SUBVETS WWII, 2) Wives of SUBVETS WWII, and 3) the Arnold Krippendorf Award.

The predicted 2000 date was an estimate. DSF and the SUBVETS WWII amended the agreement to read: "One year following no eligible applications for SUBVETS WWII scholarship awards the remaining funds would be transferred completely to the DSF program. When this occurs the perpetual awards mentioned above would be in accordance with the DSF rules for selecting awards.