This scholarship was established by the estate of William “Bill” McGovern in the name of his family. The McGovern family has resided in Chelmsford since the early 1900’s. All have graduated from Chelmsford High School and been long-time productive members of the community.

Bill McGovern was born in 1917 in Lowell, was a 1936 Chelmsford High School graduate, and graduated from the Bentley School of Accounting and Finance in Boston, MA in 1940. After completing his education, Bill served his country during World War II and a member of the U.S. Army Air Corps. until receiving his honorable discharge as a 1st Sargent in 1945.

In 1946, Bill became employed by the Standard Oil Company of California and was assigned to the Arabian American Oil Company (Aramco) in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia where he worked in Personnel Administration for more than 22 years. After a brief two year “retirement”, Bill joined one of the largest engineering and construction companies in the United States, The Betchtel Group of San Francisco, CA. During his eight years with the Group, Bill worked all over the world including: Indonesia, Alaska, Sumatra, and Saudi Arabia.

In 1978, Bill retired from a very active professional career to his retirement home in the Diamond Head of Hawaii until he passed away in 2000.

Bill was a life member of the Chelmsford High School Alumni Association and supportive of it’s scholarship efforts. This scholarship exemplifies this support. It is given to a senior “who has excelled in their high school studies”. The recipient of this scholarship is eligible to receive funds for up to four years as long as they are enrolled as a full time student in a nationally accredited college or university and maintain at least a 2.90 GPA.