|
|
Article: College Scholarships for All No Myth in El Dorado
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- January 31, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
|
This blue-collar city in the heart of Arkansas' timber-producing
region has been losing population, statewide political clout and
federal funding for the past 40 years. Then last year, an automotive
equipment plant said goodbye, sending 650 manufacturing jobs
overseas.
But last week, little El Dorado (pronounced el duh-RAY-doh)
became a destination city. The focus on booming northwest Arkansas,
where corporate giants such as Wal-Mart and Tyson Foods make their
homes, just shifted south.
A city of 21,530 just north of the Louisiana border, El Dorado
now boasts a program that guarantees that high school graduates from
the area can afford college courtesy of a $50 million gift from its
own ...