Mayor Black’s son Dennis establish this fund in memory of his father who passed away in December 2003. Mayor Black served as Mayor of Thurmont for 16 years (1969-77 and 1979-87) and as a Town Commissioner from 1967-1969. In addition to his commitment to Thurmont, Mayor Black was a member of the Frederick County Council of Governments for 16 years, including serving as president for three years. He also served for many years on the boards of the Frederick Citizens Nursing Home and the Catoctin Medical Center. Mayor Black received numerous awards in recognition of his community service.
In establishing the fund, Dennis stated, “I wanted to honor my father’s many years of dedicated service to the citizens of the town of Thurmont, and creating this fund in his name will allow others in the town that he so loved to pursue their education.”
The purpose of the fund is to provide educational assistance for the town of Thurmont’s employees and their legal dependents in the following order of preference:
Eligibility Criteria
1.First Preference: Full-time Town employee who has been accepted to attend an accredited college or technical course(s) that is directly related to the individual's job responsibilities.
2. Second Preference: Full-time Town employee who has been accepted to attend an accredited college or technical course(s) that is not directly related to the individual's job responsibilities.
3. Third Preference: A legal dependent of a full-time Town employee who has been accepted to attend an accredited college or technical course(s) in any field of study.
The Community Foundation of Frederick County administers The Mayor James F. Black Scholarship Fund. To apply for this Scholarship you must fill out the universal application through Frederick County Community Foundation.