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Rich Barnard, president and CEO of Tio Chuy’s Auto Sales, announced recently that the company has initiated a scholarship at Moore Norman Technology Center.

The Joseph R. Barnard Memorial Scholarship will be awarded annually to six MNTC students who will each receive $1,000. The gift also included seed money for future scholarships.

“The Joseph R. Barnard Memorial Scholarship will allow our students to purchase tools, pay for certification exams, and cover other expenses that may otherwise present barriers to entering the workforce in their chosen field,” said MNTC Superintendent and CEO Brian Ruttman.

Rich Barnard is a third- generation supporter of career and technical education. His grandfather and the scholarship’s namesake was a World War II Navy veteran who earned his plumbing journeyman’s license after the war. Later, his son, Terry Barnard, earned the same credential after his years of military service in Vietnam. Today, many Barnard family members work in technical fields at Tinker Air Force Base and Rich Barnard has a decades-long career in the automotive industry.

“I serve on the auto service advisory committee at Moore Norman, and we have hired many employees from their program,” he said. “I believe in what they do, and I know my father feels that way, as did his father before him. My family has lived in Moore since the 1940s and this is one way we can give back to the community.”

The Journal Record
10/17/2022
https://journalrecord.com/2022/10/14/scholarship-to-benefit-tech-center-students/