Vi Montgomery

This scholarship was lovingly created by Vi Montgomery in 1984 in memory of her son Rick. Rick Montgomery was a vivacious little boy and, in an effort to keep him occupied for a few hours at a time, his mother, Vi Montgomery, gave him a corner in her garden where he could dig to his heart’s content. Vi’s decision to give her son some space of his own sparked a joy of gardening that never left Rick. He enrolled in Foothill College’s Environmental Horticulture program right after high school, graduated in 1976, and transferred to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to major in ornamental horticulture. After graduating from Cal Poly, he taught ornamental horticulture for the Regional Occupational Program at Awalt High School (now Mountain View High School). Always committed to his alma mater, Rick encouraged his students to transfer to Foothill to continue their studies.Tragically, Rick died suddenly in 1984. As a way to honor his legacy, Vi spearheaded a fundraising effort to establish a scholarship benefiting environmental horticulture students. Through the years, the Rick Montgomery Memorial Scholarship has supported many Foothill students in pursuing their educational goals in the field. In 2019, Vi passed away and she left a legacy to Foothill’s Environmental Horticulture program whereby this scholarship became an endowment and will support students for years to come in Vi and Rick’s memory.