Jim and Linda Bodycomb Establish New Scholarship for ECE Students

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Jim and Linda Bodycomb. Photo by Radka Nebesky.

"This scholarship... represents a wonderful model for how our alumni can make a real difference in students' lives by creating opportunities for them to succeed."

Dr. Patrick O'Shea, chairman of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

ECE alumnus and Advisory Board member Jim Bodycomb (B.S., '67), along with his wife Linda, have established a new scholarship for undergraduate students enrolled in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) within the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering.

"We are very grateful for this generous gift from Jim and Linda Bodycomb," said ECE Department Chairman Patrick O'Shea. "Not only will this new scholarship help deserving students receive the support they need to excel in engineering here at Maryland, but it also represents a wonderful model for how our alumni can make a real difference in students' lives by creating opportunities for them to succeed."

A 1967 B.S. graduate in electrical engineering at Maryland, Jim Bodycomb went on to pursue graduate studies at the University of Illinois (M.S.) and Columbia University (E.E.), before dedicating his career to the telecommunications field. He worked at Bell Labs and AT&T before retiring from Lucent Technologies as Switching Product Management Vice President in 2000. After retiring, Jim became a member of the ECE Advisory Board, serving as Board President from 2006-2008.

Linda Bodycomb received her education at Morehead State University and Rutgers University before pursuing a variety of professions, including social worker, paralegal, systems analyst, and costume designer for professional theater.

Both Jim and Linda share a genuine appreciation for the value of a strong education, and hope that the new scholarship they have endowed will help students take advantage of the quality undergraduate education program in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Maryland.

For more information about the Great Expectations Campaign and how you can make a difference in students' lives at the University of Maryland, please contact Ted Knight at teknight@umd.edu or (301) 405-3596, or visit http://www.greatexpectations.umd.edu/.

Published November 19, 2008