For the Melton family of Claremore, supporting education is a way of giving back to the community.
The Melton family has funded two new endowed scholarships through the Rogers State University Foundation. The scholarship endowments are being established in the names of Lloyd and Patsy Melton and Georgea Melton Cox. Each year the endowments will provide scholarships to graduates from Claremore High School attending RSU.
“We think that it is important to help provide a college education for young people,” said Lloyd Melton.
His wife Patsy added that she feels it is important to support local educational endeavors. “We want to provide educational opportunities for young people right here in Claremore,” she said.
“We are very appreciative of the generosity of the Melton family,” said RSU President Joe Wiley. “Through their support, more students in Claremore will have the opportunity to obtain a college education.”
The Meltons are part of the rich fabric of history of Rogers County.
Lloyd Melton, his brother Harold, and father George Melton founded the Melton automotive business in 1946 in Claremore. At that time, the family sold International Harvester products, including trucks and tractors. In 1948, the business added Pontiac automobiles to its business, becoming the first Pontiac dealer in the area. In 1964 the elder George Melton passed away and Lloyd Melton and his brother took over the business. They added Dodge and Chrysler products to their business in 1981. When the Chrysler company acquired Jeep five years later, they became the first Jeep dealer in the area.
Georgea Melton Cox, who is Lloyd’s sister, attended Claremore High School and lived most of her adult life in Tulsa where she was a buyer for Skelly Oil Co. She presently resides in Claremore. She has one son, George Thomas Cox, who serves as a vice president of Merrill Lynch in Seattle.
For more information on establishing scholarships for students at RSU, call the RSU Foundation at (918) 343-7773.