Toms scholarship
A 1974 graduate, Rick Toms says the scholarship he received to attend Catawba and play football changed his life, and he and his wife hope their scholarship does the same for future students.
“The reason I came to Catawba was because somebody gave me a scholarship,” Toms says. “If somebody hadn’t given me a scholarship, I probably wouldn’t have pursued football or even thought about Catawba, but that scholarship said to me that somebody was thinking about me, cared about me and wanted me to come to their school. It changed my life with that scholarship, and I want to do the same thing.”
Rick Toms grew up on a dairy farm in western Maryland, one of four kids. His only experience with North Carolina, prior to attending Catawba, was a football camp in Rocky Mount. He thinks a Catawba scout either saw him at that camp or saw a high school film of him that resulted in a call for him to travel to Salisbury to try out for the Catawba team.
“I was recruited on scholarship to be the first official kicker in the history of the school, and I was fortunate enough to play in every game for four years,” Toms recalls.
Toms majored in physical education and went from struggling academically his first semester to being a dean’s list student.
“One thing I really enjoyed was Hoyt McCachren (professor emeritus of theatre arts) in speech class,” he remembers. “I’ve given hundreds of speeches whether in businesses, church, Rotary or Boy Scouts, and I think that was one of the best classes I’ve ever had on how to make a professional presentation. I was used to talking to cows which was sort of a one-sided conversation, since you could never tell who’s listening.”
Even with his football scholarship, Toms had to work while a student at Catawba. “I got jobs around town, working for a construction company one year, building the Elks Club, digging footings and pouring the foundation. I also worked for Food Town at their big warehouse about 10 minutes away from campus. I remember seeing (Catawba trustees chairman) Tom Smith, who may have been the warehouse manager at that time,” he says.
Toms met Cinda after returning to Maryland. They married in 1981 and have two children, son Brent, 21, and daughter Kelly, 18, both students at McDaniel College in Maryland.
In 1985, Toms established Atlantic Security Systems, a company specializing in security systems, fire alarms and access entry control. His company’s clients include 140 schools in four different counties in Maryland and West Virginia.
“Rick is an example of someone who gives back and keeps the wheels of Catawba turning,” Childress says. “He has a long memory of his experiences here and knows firsthand just how life-changing a scholarship can be. We are grateful to him and Cinda for their ongoing support.”
Preference for the Toms Endowed Scholarship will be given to football players from Maryland.