Arthur Monroe Shride Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship was first awarded in 1990 following a gift to A-State from Dr. Robert Chester of Fort Smith in memory of Arthur Monroe Shride. Mr. Shride was Chester’s teacher of eight years at Elm Store School, a one-room school in Randolph County. Born in 1900, Shride taught for 33 years, beginning at 16. He later ran a general store at Dalton, Ark., for 11 years, and also spent part of his working years as a blacksmith, a shoe repairman, a farmer and a barber. Mr. Chester said Shride was a strict disciplinarian and a man of the highest character, setting an excellent example for his students. At the time the scholarship was established, Chester said, “I want the recipients to become teachers and wherever they teach, regardless of the subject, they should set an example of good nutrition and physical well-being. My philosophy is that one should live until he dies. Most people can do that if they will follow Mr. Shride’s example.”