The Victor J. Andrew Legacy Scholarship for Excellence in Science is established in the honor of Victor J. Andrew. Through his spirit of entrepreneurship as well as his legacy of giving he made an imprint on society and those around him.

From the early age of 8, Victor J. Andrew had a fascination with technology. He was building radios out of scrap parts from the junkyard and in his teens he started his first business out of the backseat of his car. He attended the College of Wooster where his academic focus was on Math and Science. His hard work and brilliance resulted in being the first recipient of the William H. Wilson Mathematics Prize at Wooster. He graduated in 1926 with a Bachelor of Science degree and went on to become a Junior Engineer at the United States Army Signal Corps Laboratories.

In 1927, Victor earned a master’s degree in Physics at the University of Chicago, then joined Westinghouse Electric. Two years later the Great Depression hit and like many others Victor found himself out of a job. However, close ties from the College of Wooster and University of Chicago provided him with an opportunity that would shape his future. He worked with Dr. Compton, an American Physicist and Nobel Laureate, at the University of Chicago and earned his doctorate in physics from 1930-1932.

In 1937, Victor decided to be in business for himself and set up a modest shop out of his basement. Ten years later, Andrew Corporation would be born. In 1953, he established the headquarters of Andrew Corporation in Orland Park, Illinois. The company steadily grew over his lifetime. By the time he passed away in 1971, the company had 700 employees at five plants in four countries. It was more than he had ever imagined. In 1980, the company went public and by 1990’s the company had 2,500 employees in Chicago and 4,500 employees internationally.

In the mid-1950’s, Victor issued a statement regarding the company’s purpose, “The ultimate objective of Andrew Corporation is the improvement of human welfare through the production of needed goods and services on an expanding scale.” It was clear that he achieved his mission. He left an indelible mark on the community, his employees, his friends and his family who remember him fondly for his incredible work ethic and compassion. By his life’s work, he taught his family the value of education and the importance of giving back to the community by providing others with the tools for success.

As stated in a tribute by C. Russell Cox, “Victor Andrew was noted for his tremendous intellectual output, his love of people and nature, and his devotion to The College of Wooster. He was a scientist, engineer, moralist, capitalist, philosopher, economist, philanthropist, and humanist. Doc was a brilliant and complicated man, and he loved life and lived it with an intellectual and emotional intensity almost beyond comprehension of ordinary men.”

The Victor J. Andrew Legacy Scholarship for Excellence in Science is a tribute to the loving memory of Victor J. Andrew and his life’s accomplishments.

One scholarship will be awarded to a Senior attending Victor J. Andrew High School who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in the area of Science.

The Foundation will award one $20,000 scholarship grant per year, such grant to be distributed in four $5,000 annual installments. Each installment of the grant after the first year will be conditioned upon the student’s meeting the requirements including maintaining a 3.25 GPA and a full course load.

The scholarships will be awarded without regard to race, color, national origin, religious affiliation, or disability.

In order to be eligible for the scholarship, the student must be a senior at Victor J. Andrew High School, Tinley Park, IL. Students will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Overall GPA
• GPA in science
• Number of regular and AP science courses taken
• Additional applied science courses completed (i.e. Computer Science, Engineering Concepts)
• Participation in science clubs and activities

There will be no formal solicitation or announcement materials. The Foundation will work with the high school science faculty to ensure that the faculty is aware of the Scholarship Program and is familiar with its eligibility requirements and the criteria for selection. The science faculty of Victor J. Andrew High School will be well-positioned to assess a given student’s eligibility for the Program. The science faculty will serve as a Nominating and Selection Committee, selecting the annual scholarship grant recipient.

The scholarship recipient will be notified at the high school’s honor’s night which takes place in May of each year.