It is that time of year again, that we are ready to give away scholarships and we have a new one!!!! We have joined forces with the DeSoto Police Department to award the Officer Richard S. Pittmon Memorial Scholarship. Details pertaining to each scholarship program are outlined below.
Best Southwest Partnership Mayoral Scholarships are open to all graduating high school seniors residing in one of our Best Southwest partner cities of Balch Springs, Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville, Ferris, Hutchins, Glenn Heights, Lancaster, Ovilla and Wilmer.
One recipient per city will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship.
Please direct all applicants to visit www.bestsouthwest.org to complete the online application.
Sponsorship opportunities are available now. As a sponsor your company will have exposure like never before. We are working with Superintendents, Principals and Counselors in Cedar Hill ISD, Dallas ISD, DeSoto ISD, Duncanville ISD, Ferris ISD, Lancaster ISD, Life Schools, Mesquite ISD, Newman International, Ovilla Christian School, Red Oak ISD, Trinity Christian School and Village Tech Schools that will all know you support their efforts as educators.
Applications will be accepted from Feb 1 to Mar 14 and we will be awarding scholarships at City Council Meetings during the month of April – May. See event page for registration and sponsorship opportunities.
BSWP Mayoral Scholarship Application LINK
New scholarship opportunity: Pittmon Memorial Scholarship
Officer Richard S. Pittmon, a graduate of Gilmer High School, received his Associates Degree from Kilgore Junior College and his Bachelor’s Degree from Stephen F. Austin State University. He graduated from the Police Academy at Cedar Valley Community College.
Officer Pittmon began as a DeSoto Police Officer April 26, 1993, working his first eighteen months in patrol. DeSoto Police Sergeant M. H. Stone and Dr. Cindy Bradford of the DeSoto ISD recommended him for the position of School Resource Officer for the DeSoto Independent School District, and he began this assignment January 9, 1995. He served in this ‘two-year’ position for ten years, spending the first five years at DeSoto High School, and the remaining five years at the DeSoto Freshman Campus. Officer Pittmon’s duties included working in all of the DeSoto ISD schools, and he was called upon frequently by the elementary schools because he had been in the district for so long and everyone knew him so well. He taught the Criminal Justice class at the high school for two years, the Law Enforcement Training Students (LETS) program to 5th graders at the Meadows Intermediate School for several years, and he was an instructor for the Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) Program in June during the summers of 2001, 2002 and 2003.
During his tenure as a police officer, Officer Pittmon acquired his Masters Peace Officer Certification and numerous commendations from, for example, district attorneys, private citizens, his peers, school district employees, and for his work on the GREAT program. In October of 2002, he was awarded with an Excellence Award from the Mayor of DeSoto. In the spring of 2003, the Texas Congress of Parents and Teachers awarded him with an Honorary Life Membership in recognition of distinguished service to children and youth. He participated in various types of police training related to working in the schools, such as Crisis Management, Legal Updates in Schools, and many, many others.
Officer Pittmon also participated in a variety of activities and organizations. His memberships and associations included the DeSoto Police Association, the Texas Municipal Police Officers Association, the National Association of School Resource Officers, Law Enforcement Teaching Students, and the Texas Association of School District Police. His main hobby was collecting police related memorabilia, one of which was a 1964 Chevrolet Bel Air Police Car; he had replaced the markings with ones that read “DeSoto Police.” He led parades, showed and competed in car shows, and won many awards and trophies. As part of his hobby, he was also a member of the Police Car Owners of America, the Emergency Vehicle Owners and Operators Association, and the Cruisers Club of Cedar Hill.
As a person, Officer Pittmon was kind, courteous and gentle. He maintained high moral and ethical standards. He was always honest, never allowing his integrity to be compromised. He was generous: he gave of himself in everything he did, as a police officer and as an educator.
As a Police Officer, and as a School Resource Officer, he always did additional things, going that ‘extra mile’ for others. He helped someone find a lost dog, he stayed with a woman whose car ran out of gas until help arrived, he led students in parades at the elementary schools with his antique squad car, and he helped one of the elementary schools with a project involving a beloved ‘lost’ Gingerbread Man (a project to help students learn their phone numbers and addresses). He took the Gingerbread Man all over DeSoto to take pictures of it in various locations, at the Town Center, at the park, in the Police Chief’s Office, etc. He took the pictures back to the school and showed the students that Gingerbread Man had been found. He gave programs and workshops, he spoke to faculty members, to students, and he listened. He listened with his heart, he spoke from his heart, and that’s the way he did his job. He had dozens of commendations, thank you notes and letters from people whose lives he touched.
Officer Pittmon had a special assignment in life, and he was the best at what he did. Being an SRO was important to him, and this was reflected in the way he did his job, and it showed in how he affected the lives of faculty members, parents and students throughout not just the school district, but the entire community of DeSoto. Officer Pittmon passed away June 16th, 2004, after a courageous battle with cancer. The Officer Richard S. Pittmon Memorial Scholarship was set up that day in his honor. People can earn a lot of awards in life, but it’s the contributions people make to society, the lives they touch, and their passion for life that makes a difference. This is Officer Pittmon’s legacy: he made a difference because of who he was and what he stood for; and he made a difference in thousands of peoples’ lives.
The Officer Richard S. Pittmon Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a graduating DeSoto High School senior and DeSoto resident meeting specific academic and leadership criteria. This scholarship is an award of $3,000 toward tuition and fees to a full-time student attending an accredited two-year or four-year post secondary educational facility, payable only to that institution. (A winning recipient may be eligible for a second award the following year, but must reapply.) Applicants must have a GPA of 2.5 minimum, and entering a service oriented profession, such as (but not limited to) police officer, criminal justice or law enforcement careers, corrections officer, probation officer, FBI, CIA, fireman, EMT, paramedic, nurse, teacher, social worker, counselor, etc.
Applications will be accepted from Feb 1 to Mar 14 and we will be awarding scholarship at a DeSoto City Council Meeting during the month of April – May.
Pittmon Memorial Scholarship LINK