The Carbon County Community Foundation announces the establishment of the Ron Hydro Outstanding Athlete Award Fund, an endowed scholarship honoring the legacy of Ron Hydro, a distinguished Jim Thorpe Area School District graduate, veteran and retired Pennsylvania State Police officer.

The award was endowed in April 2026 by Ryan Hydro and his wife, Sheila, in celebration of Ron Hydro’s upcoming 80th birthday. The fund awards an annual scholarship of $500 to a graduating senior from Jim Thorpe Area School District who is a starting member of the JTAHS boys basketball team and has demonstrated a commitment to community service.

Ron Hydro is a 1964 Jim Thorpe Area School District graduate who was a starting member of both the 1963 Pennsylvania State Championship Class C Runner Up team and the 1964 basketball team.

Following graduation, he served in the U.S. Army before embarking on a 27-year career with the Pennsylvania State Police, where he attained the rank of sergeant and station commander.

“My wife and I wanted to do something unique and special for my dad’s upcoming 80th birthday in October and thought — what better way to honor him than through an endowed scholarship award that will help future generations of JTAHS scholar athletes!” Ryan Hydro said. “As a lifelong Jim Thorpe resident, my dad always looks back to his days of playing sports and roaming the halls at JTAHS as some of the best days of his life.

“Following his high school graduation, and after serving in the U.S. Army, he dedicated himself to protecting the citizens of Pennsylvania in his distinguished career with the Pa. State Police. If just one of the recipients of the ‘Ron Hydro Outstanding Athlete Award’ over the years ends up accomplishing half of what my dad has accomplished in life, endowing this award will have been worthwhile.”

The inaugural recipient of the Ron Hydro Outstanding Athlete Award is Caiden Hodor, who was recognized at the Jim Thorpe Area High School Senior Awards Night on May 27.

Hodor plans to attend Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where he will major in biology and philosophy. His long-term goals include a career in veterinary medicine, with an emphasis on wildlife biology, bioethics and environmental or public policy. He was selected to receive the award by the scholarship committee at Jim Thorpe Area High School.

“We are honored to steward a fund that celebrates both athletic achievement and a life of service to others,” said Sharon Alexander, president of the Carbon County Community Foundation. “The Ron Hydro Outstanding Athlete Award is a wonderful tribute to a man who has given so much to this community, and we look forward to supporting future generations of Jim Thorpe scholar athletes in his name.”

For more information about the Ron Hydro Outstanding Athlete Award Fund or to learn about establishing a scholarship fund, visit www.cccfoundpa.org or contact the Carbon County Community Foundation at 610-730-2526 or info@cccfoundpa.org.

The Carbon County Community Foundation was formed in 2016 with the mission to improve the quality of life for all Carbon County residents by offering individuals, families and businesses the most effective charitable giving tools available in the marketplace.

For more information, visit the foundation at cccfoundpa.org or call 1-855-545-1311.