The Tiderington Family Scholarship was established in 1996 by Dr. Robert H. and Charlotte Hughes Tiderington and their three sons, Robert III, James and Thomas, to provide funding for students pursuing a vocational career. Neither Dr. Tiderington nor his wife Charlotte graduated from college. Dr. Tiderington remarked: “It was important to us that our boys went to college. We always stressed education. When you give a gift of education, you give a gift for life.”

Although the Tiderington’s emphasize a college education, they recognize that not everybody wants to, or should, go to college. “We desperately need plumbers and carpenters and others who prefer physical labor. Therefore, we would like to provide scholarships for vocational training.”