Alfred A. McKethan Scholarship

This scholarship honors Hernando County banker Alfred McKethan, who had legendary political influence in Florida. McKethan, retired chairman of what is now SunTrust Bank/Nature Coast, had strong political influence in Florida and at one time was considered among the state’s 10 most powerful people. He was honored in 1994 by Gov. Lawton Chiles and the Cabinet for a life of service to the state. As chairman of the State Road Board from 1949-54, he pushed through the original Sunshine Skyway project to create Tampa Bay’s premier bridge. As an elder in the Presbyterian Church, he led a committee that picked St. Petersburg as the site for Florida Presbyterian College, now known as Eckerd College. A citrus owner himself, McKethan was a member of the Florida Citrus Commission and founder of the Florida Citrus Mutual, the giant grower cooperative established in 1954. He also was the first chairman of the governing board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District, which was created in 1962 to deal with flooding in 15 counties. McKethan passed away in 2002 at the age of 9