Dr. Stan Reid ’74 understands the power of belief. As a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church, faith and belief are foundational to his calling and day-to-day work.
But Reid, a former medical doctor who played football for the Blue Hose and served in the United States military, also understands the importance of being surrounded by those who believe in you—in your potential and your future. Reid understands because the people who believed in him as a young man were essential to his development—from student to soldier, from healer to pastor.
That is why Reid and his wife, Patricia ’76, established the Coach Keith Richardson ’64 Scholarship for male PC student-athletes, preferably those who play football or are from the town of Woodruff, where he grew up. Richardson, best known locally as the legendary former head football coach at Clinton High School, served as an assistant coach to the equally legendary coach Willie Varner from 1964-69 when Reid was a student there.
Reid said Coach Varner likely served as a father-figure for him. But Coach Richardson was Reid’s line coach and perceptive enough to see that something was going on.
“Things weren’t very good at home, and I was thinking seriously of quitting school, leaving town, lying about my age, and joining the military,” Reid said. “I had not figured out exactly how to pull it off, but Coach Richardson pulled me aside one evening after practice and related some of his experiences while at Chester High School. He told me that if I stayed with it and kept working, football would be my ticket to get what I wanted in life. He told me that if I worked hard and stayed in school and ‘toughed it out,’ I could play college ball and go a lot further in life. That really caught my attention, and of course he was absolutely right!”
Reid also recalled Richardson’s academic support as a history teacher at Woodruff.
“He was always really encouraging,” Reid said, “and I liked him because he was probably one of the best teachers that we had at the school, as well. Even after he left to coach at Clinton and I had graduated from Woodruff High School, he stayed in touch while I was at PC and later as fellow alumni. I know from conversations that he offered a lot of support for his players and the community throughout his long career coaching at Clinton High School. I just had an immense respect for him as a person, as someone who was a positive influence, not just a role model, but a positive influence as a coach and for the students that he encountered.”
Reid also followed in Richardson’s footsteps to play football for the Blue Hose at PC. But that is where their professional journeys – but not their friendship – parted ways. Reid earned a medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina and later trained to become an orthopedic surgeon, leaving service as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Medical Corps after 13 years of active service.
After retiring from his surgical practice in 2007, Reid answered a second calling to earn a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and is now a stated supply pastor in Foothills Presbytery in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and just completed three terms on PC’s Board of Trustees.
Inspired in 2008 to establish the Keith Richardson Scholarship, Reid said he wants to help young people the same way Coach Richardson and many others helped him in college – with kindness and support for academic success.
Brandon Jacoby, a sophomore business major from Myrtle Beach, is the inaugural beneficiary of the Richardson Scholarship and a member of the college’s men’s wrestling team. Like his benefactor, Jacoby uses his athletic skills to earn a college degree. Also, like Reid, Jacoby understands firsthand the struggle of meeting tuition costs and expectations.
“At one point, my life felt like it was crumbling apart, and losing one scholarship raised the cost of my tuition to an unfathomable amount,” he said. “It seemed like all hope was lost, and I couldn’t attend this school anymore. At the very last moment, I was awarded the Keith Richardson Scholarship, which gave me reassurance and peace of mind that God is in control, and everything will be okay. It didn’t just help me with cost, but kept me on a good path that I wanted to go down.”
Thanks to Reid, one act of generosity changed the course of a young life.
“When I was first told I would be given this scholarship, I started tearing up,” Jacoby said. “It was life-altering. If I hadn’t been awarded this scholarship, I would’ve had to move out of my house and start living independently. Which you can imagine as a student athlete in college, it would be difficult to get my feet up and running. I’m truly grateful to be awarded this scholarship and to be able to continue furthering my education and my skills in wrestling.”
Jacoby, the son of Jennifer and James Kondravy of Myrtle Beach, said he is also grateful for the community he has found at PC.
“No other college I went to had the environment quite like PC has,” he said. “On my visit to PC, everyone that I talked to was kind and respectful. There was no feeling of awkwardness with anyone. Also, people on the campus didn’t seem judgmental or give any weird looks. People just accepted me like I was their friend for a couple of years!”
