Our scholarship namesake, Bob Eckart, was a farmer and lifelong resident of Copley, Ohio, who supported the area’s agricultural community by serving as Secretary of the Summit County Farm Bureau Board of Trustees. In that role, which spanned “too many years to count,” he became known for the meticulously detailed handwritten minutes he would record during each meeting. In addition to his role as a farmer and an active member of the SCFB, Bob also drove a school bus for the Copley Public Schools for many years. His involvement with his charges went beyond safely delivering them to their intended destination each school day. He also hired many of these students to work on his farm after school hours and during summer vacations. There, he was a patient educator intent on teaching those who wanted to learn what he knew about farming, working the land, and animal husbandry. Not surprisingly, when Bob passed away, former students lined up outside the funeral home to pay their respects to the man who had been both their friend and teacher.
Not long after his passing, the SCFB Board of Trustees voted to create an academic scholarship program in honor of Bob’s memory. They established an award of $1,000 per academic year, with the option to renew for up to 4 years (provided minimum academic standards were maintained). Below are the individuals selected as our Robert H. Eckert Memorial Academic Scholarship recipients, this year.
Tristan Bard
Tristan is a 2021 Revere High School graduate and Ohio State freshman, majoring in Atmospheric Science, with the ultimate goal of becoming a Meteorologist. He is the son of Todd and Maryke Bard of Richfield. Tristan was very active in high school as a member of the swim team, cross country team, and symphonic choir, receiving a number of academic and non-academic honors. He is a member of the Richfield United Church of Christ and has volunteered with its youth mission group, as well as at the Feed My Sheep Soup Kitchen, the Friends of Crowell Hilaka Camp, and the Akron Canton Regional Food Bank. Tristan has helped supervise the SCFB Antiques Museum during the county fair and has worked at Luthers Farm, The Farmer’s Rail and Lubrizol Corporation. As a Meteorologist, Tristan’s goal is to deliver an accurate forecast to give farmers the ability to use the weather as a tool rather than seeing it as an inhibitor to their livelihoods.
Laurel Rotunno
Laurel is the daughter of Nicole and Anthony Rotunno of Hudson. A senior at Hudson High School, Laurel is involved in softball and cross country. She volunteers with Hudson Community First, HUDDLE and Drug Free Clubs of America and has received both academic and non-academic awards, already. She has worked part-time at a local tree farm; selling Christmas trees, processing firewood, raising new trees and maintaining the property, for the past four years. Laurel plans to attend West Virginia University studying animal and nutritional sciences, with the ultimate goal of becoming a veterinarian where she will heal, take care of, protect and ensure the safety of animals and their people.
