The Gemological Institute of America’s fifth annual Richard T. Liddicoat Scholarship Fund Campaign is now underway and will run through December. Contributors will be helping qualified individuals build their careers in the gem and jewelry industry.

The RTL Scholarship Fund was created by the GIA Alumni Association in 2003 to honor Liddicoat, GIA’s longtime president and chairman, who is regarded as the “Father of Modern Gemology.”

The fund furthers Liddicoat’s personal mission of providing gemological education to worthy students by awarding two full scholarships each year in the GIA Graduate Gemologist diploma program. The winners will be announced at GIA’s Industry Awards Presentation at the Tucson trade shows in February 2008.

To date, the RTL Scholarship Fund has granted eight full scholarships. This year’s recipients, Dixie M. Louviere of New Orleans and Victoria Pulla-Corella of New York, were awarded scholarships for the On Campus and Distance Education programs, respectively.

To contribute to the RTL Scholarship Fund or to establish a GIA scholarship in the name of an individual, company, or professional organization, contact Bev Berthoty, GIA manager of Institute Relations at 800-421-7250, ext. 4120.

Applications for the 2008 RTL Scholarships are available by on the GIA Web site and will be accepted until Oct. 15. Many additional GIA scholarship applications are available and can also be found on the GIA Web site in the education section.

JCK