Gary B. Beikirch '81 Military Service Scholarship

Established to acknowledge service members attending SUNY Brockport, the Gary B. Beikirch ’81 Military Scholarship, initially created as the Veterans Scholarship, recognizes an outstanding student who is currently on active duty, serving in the reserves, or a veteran of the U.S. armed forces.

The scholarship honors Sgt. Beikirch, who joined the U. S. Army in 1967. He served as a medical specialist in the Special Forces Division during the Vietnam War. In 1973, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for risking his life to save comrades beyond the call of duty during action at Camp Dak Seang in Vietnam. He received the Purple Heart for injuries sustained during that conflict.

After discharge from the service, Sgt. Beikirch came to Brockport to work on his master’s in education, which he received in 1981. He earned his Certificate of Advanced Study in 1990. He was a middle school teacher and a high school counselor in the Greece Central School District before his retirement.

Qualified applicants for the Gary B. Beikirch ’81 Military Service Scholarship are honorably discharged veterans of the U. S. Military who are accepted to SUNY Brockport at the undergraduate or graduate level, who have a minimum GPA of 2.75 or better, and who demonstrate a need for financial assistance as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).