Dick Linthicum ’66 Boosts Scholarship

During the Great Depression, Dick Linthicum‘s father had to drop out of college after a year-and-a-half due to insufficient finances.

Dick fared better, making it through Lafayette thanks to savings bonds, the support of his father (who had become a Foreign Service officer), and a job as a waiter for the faculty, which included a free lunch. He graduated in 1966.

It wasn’t easy, he’ll tell you, recalling the summer he planned to stay with his parents in Australia. His father squashed that notion, telling Dick that he had to appreciate the dignity of labor and take a job instead. That summer he drove a Good Humor truck in Philadelphia.

Linthicum made the most of his education, majoring in economics and greatly enjoying a number of history courses as well. He held several student leadership positions, excelled on the lacrosse team, and twice helped his Soles Hall social dormitory win the annual All-Campus Trophy, awarded back then for a combination of intramural victories and scholastic achievement.

After graduating, Linthicum served three years in the Army, leaving as a 1^st Lieutenant, then earned an MBA in finance at what’s now called the Stern School of Business at New York University. He joined Citibank and worked through some tough times there over 45 years, becoming a managing director in its Global Wealth Management Group.

Along the way, Linthicum gave back to Lafayette by volunteering as an alumni admissions representative for Long Island and by donating regularly to the Annual Fund and men’s lacrosse. In 1999, he established the Thomas Hopkins Linthicum Scholarship Fund. Its purpose, he says, is to give a helping hand to students who can’t afford a Lafayette education while honoring his father and the ethic of hard work that got him ahead in life.

Now, having retired last summer, Linthicum has decided to take his support a step further. He’s put Lafayette in his will, a move that he says could triple the size of the scholarship.

“Lafayette continues to get better, and scholarships help capable prospects get a great education,” he says. “Putting Lafayette in one’s will shows dedication to a great institution that constantly tries to get better. The College will continue to grow and prosper, and we grads can feel good that it lives on with our generosity.”

The College recognizes planned-giving donors with membership in the James Madison Porter Society. To learn more, visit http://lafayette.giftlegacy.com or contact Joe Samaritano ’91 at samaritj@lafayette.edu or 610-330-5047.