The memory of an
Arkansas State University alumna is being honored through a scholarship that has
been established for the College of Business.
Cindy French was a person willing to take a risk. The ’79 business administration alumna adventurously tried skiing and whitewater rafting. But when it came to her profession, she was all business.
“Cindy was so invested in her career,” said Nancy Elphingstone, her friend of almost 25 years. “She loved banking. Her co-workers didn’t realize the degree of pain her multiple sclerosis caused her, because she wouldn’t let it slow down her commitment to her job.”
Banking was the only career French ever had, Elphingstone said. She began at the Bank of Newport in Jackson County, and then worked for Citizens Bank in Jonesboro for more than 13 years. She then went on to become a national bank examiner with the Office of Comptroller of the Currency, a federal government position.
“The OCC examines national banks,” Elphingstone said. “Cindy loved looking at bank records, making sure the banks operated within certain parameters, and making recommendations to help banks improve.”
French loved being involved in her community, too. While in Jonesboro, she was on the board of the United Way and for several years co-chaired the Main Street Jonesboro celebration. She was one of the first female members of Jonesboro’s University Rotary Club, and traveled to Argentina on a Rotary exchange.
Elphingstone said she and French met while attending what was then called Jaycee women, and became fast friends. She said French was named as one of 10 outstanding young Arkansans during the early 1980s.
“Cindy also loved ASU,” Elphingstone said. “We had season tickets to football since the stadium was built. She also loved basketball games.”
It was French’s love for banking and ASU that prompted Cindy’s parents, Louis and Geraldine French of Tuckerman, and Elphingstone to establish the memorial scholarship.
“We just felt like there needed to be something more,” Elphingstone said. “She had done so well in her career and it was so important to her to help others achieve their goals in banking.”
The Cindy French Memorial Scholarship will assist a junior or senior female majoring in finance at ASU’s College of Business.
“By establishing this scholarship,” Elphingstone said, “many others will be helped in achieving their education in Cindy’s name.”
To make an online gift to the Cindy French Memorial Scholarship, which is listed online under the category “Developing and Annually Funded Scholarships,” click here. If preferred, a gift may be mailed to University Development, P.O. Box 1990, State University AR 72467-1990. For more information on establishing a scholarship at Arkansas State University, click here.
