J.C. Gordon Scholarship 2018 Recipients

First Community Mortgage (FCM) CEO Keith Canter, and Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) President Laura Monks, recently announced the 2018 recipients of the annual J.C. Gordon Memorial Scholarship.

The annual scholarship is for $7,500, in perpetuity through FCM Cares, the company’s non-profit organization. It was created by the FCM Cares board of directors in honor of J.C. Gordon, who passed away in 2016. He was one of the founders of First Community Bank, and an original board member of First Community Mortgage. “He was a remarkable leader. His career is a testimony to what can be accomplished by someone with a high school diploma who is committed to excellence in their craft or trade. He made a difference in his profession and community, which is why it is our pleasure to honor his memory and family with this scholarship. It is especially meaningful that we can do this in cooperation with an outstanding school in the town where he spent most of his adult life.”

The scholarship funds will be provided to TCAT annually, and they will be administered by TCAT leaders. The amount of funds being provided will allow TCAT administrators to provide support to multiple students for each of the trimesters of their academic year. While the students do receive funding through the Tennessee Promise Scholarship, which is for students who attend a technical school or two-year college in Tennessee, much of the equipment expense is out of the students’ pockets. The scholarship funds from FCM Cares will assist with those added expenses.

“What an excellent expression of honor to Mr. Gordon, and welcome help to students who may otherwise not have access to the technical education TCAT provides to improve their trade or craft,” said Monks. “What FCM has done is a fine example of support for developing the kind of workforce that is needed so badly here in Tennessee. The support of the Tennessee General Assembly and the kind of education we provide is encouraging. Having a company like FCM build on that is deeply appreciated, and our hope is that others will follow their example.”

Jennifer (Gordon) Feldhaus, one of J.C. and Edna Gordon’s four children, who resides in Shelbyville, said, “This is such a fitting honor for our Dad, and our family. We are so appreciative the FCM Cares board of directors chose to do this. It is an affirmation to Dad and the life he lived, but also to the kind of hard-working, dedicated person who wants to use their abilities to advance their careers and make a difference in their community. We will be excited to see what a difference this makes in providing opportunities for students at TCAT in Shelbyville.”

2018 Recipients: All students are in the Machine Tool Technology Program

• Max Gessler
• Sinai Lopez
• Jakeb Newberry
• Shawn Davis
• Demetrius Hill