The Zander family came to Bellingham in 1907. They later moved to the Meridian School District, settling permanently on the farmstead at 1468 E. Smith Road in the 1920s. Lawrence graduated from Laurel High School now Meridian High School in 1916.
Sixteen first cousins of the third generation wanted to honor the family through Lawrence.
As the oldest child in the family of 11 children, Lawrence shouldered considerable responsibility for supporting the growing family. Later he became interested and active in community and school affairs. He and others in the community donated money to purchase the nearby Victor School, which was declared surplus by the Meridian School District. The Victor Community Club today owns this building.
An Endowment Fund to support this Scholarship was established through the Meridian Public School Foundation in December 2007. Scholarships are provided from the invested earnings of this fund. Scholarships are awarded to Meridian High School graduates attending an accredited two or four-year college or university or a technical/vocational school.
The following eligibility criteria for a scholarship are important to the family as specified by endowment representatives Al Zander (MHS Class of 1954) and Larry Zander (MHS Class of 1963) :
- Students who are majoring in agriculture-related fields of crop and plant sciences, turf management, animal sciences, veterinary medicine, agriculture journalism; life sciences (home economics) and natural resources management.
- Students attending vocational/technical schools.Other important considerations to be given priority are:
- Students previously awarded a scholarship that plan to continue after successfully completing their first year of studies.
- Students starting or continuing their post high school education following time off for work or other reasons.
- Students that are focused and have a strong desire to succeed, have a definite financial need and have a proven academic record.