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Fred and Louise Tarver Scholarship

The Fred and Louise Tarver scholarship is a permanent endowment at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.  It is named in honor of my parents.  The following is excerpted from the statement that accompanied the initiation of the scholarship in 1996:

For the reasons discussed below, it is the wish of the Donor that the annual distributions from the Fund, in accordance with the University of Michigan’s endowment distribution policy, be made available at the direction of the Dean of the College of Engineering to an African-American undergraduate student who embodies and promotes the values of Fred and Louise Tarver described herein. The recipient must be enrolled full-time in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in the College of Engineering. To the extent permissible by law, awarding of the scholarship shall be based on academic merit. In the event that two or more students present roughly equal qualifications, then financial need shall be applied as a secondary criteria. Notwithstanding the above, the minimum grade point average required to qualify for this scholarship is 3.0.

David Tarver received his Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan College of Engineering in 1975. In 1976 he received a second University of Michigan degree, a Master of Science in electrical engineering. Upon completion of the master’s degree he went to work for AT&T Bell Laboratories in New Jersey, where he developed hardware and software products for voice, data, and image communications. In 1983, Mr. Tarver left Bell Laboratories and co-founded Telecom Analysis Systems, Inc. (TAS). TAS creates advanced communications test equipment for communications equipment companies in the U.S. and over 20 other countries.

Mr. Tarver was encouraged to pursue his engineering studies by his mother Louise and his late father Fred. Though they both grew up and worked at a time of severely limited opportunity for African-Americans, they constantly worked to be the best in their chosen occupations. Furthermore, they worked and sacrificed so that each of their three children could complete college and go on to successful professional careers. The values shown by Fred and Louise Tarver – dedication to family and career, effective communication, leadership, and sacrifice – deserve to be propagated through generations of University of Michigan students.