You would have difficulty finding another couple who loved and cared more about nature than Richard and Karen Light.
The Lights are no longer with us, but their memory lives on with a scholarship in their name from the Lebanon Valley Conservancy.
The Conservancy has announced that applications for the Richard H. and Karen R. Light Memorial Scholarship are now being accepted. The $2,500 annual award is open to Lebanon County graduating seniors and students at Lebanon Valley College and HACC. Applicants must be planning to further their education in the fields of environmental science, conservation, ecology, wildlife, water, and natural resource management. In 2019, a $1,000 scholarship was also awarded.
Read More: Local students awarded scholarships by Lebanon Valley Conservancy
The deadline to apply for the scholarship is April 15, 2020 and applications must include a teacher recommendation and an essay from the student. Application information is available on the Lebanon Valley Conservancy website.
The Lights enjoyed nature every day from their home nestled in the woods near Swatara State Park and took great joy in sharing their passion with others. Richard offered field trips, slide shows and was a frequent guest on WLBR talk shows, where he would answer listener questions about bird watching and bird feeding.
Richard passed away in 2016 and Karen, a popular educator, died in 2018. Both were members of the Conservancy, the Quittapahilla Audubon Society, the Entomology Club, Friends of Memorial Lake and Swatara State Park, and the Historic Preservation Trust, among others. They were also volunteers with the Ned Smith Center’s saw-whet owl research project.
The Lebanon Valley Conservancy is a 20-year-old organization of individuals and organizations dedicated to preserving and protecting our natural resources so they can be enjoyed for generations to come. The Richard and Karen Light Memorial Scholarship will help to ensure that goal.
This article was updated on March 28 with an updated deadline for scholarship applications of April 15.