The Dr. John F. Etten/Tampa Florida Chapter scholarship will be awarded on the basis of outstanding scholarship, demonstrated leadership, and service by the Etten Scholarship Committee to an undergraduate junior or senior majoring in elementary education at the University of South Florida.

Dr. John Etten's history with PDK began in 1951 when, while serving in the military in Ft. Riley, KS, he was allowed to take graduate classes in the evenings. One of his professors invited him to join Phi Delta Kappa. After completing his doctorate at Loyola University in 1958, he joined the faculty at Northeastern Illinois University where he was instrumental in creating the chapter on that campus. Since 1985, John has lived in Tampa, teaching at the University of South Florida until his retirement. In addition to his 40 years in education, John spent 34 years in the military reserves, serving for many years as the liaison officer in Admissions for West Point. He established this endowed scholarship fund in 1991 with a generous personal gift to the Educational Foundation.