Premium Cigar Association Awards Scholarships to Texas Students

Dallas, Texas – Two Texas students are attending college this year, each with the help of a $5,000 scholarship from the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association. The IPCPR has awarded a total of $600,000 in scholarships at the rate of 20 per year since 2004.

Caroline Drinkwater of 4548 Westway in Dallas is majoring in Spanish and business at the University of Texas at Austin. She was sponsored by Cigar Vault in Dallas.

Courtney Poehler of 2501 Clear Ridge Dr. in Garland is majoring in elementary education at the University of North Texas. She was sponsored by J.C. Newman Cigar Co. of Tampa, Florida.

To be eligible for the scholarship, students must be a spouse, child or employee of an IPCPR member, maintain a grade point average of at least 2.5 and write an essay on a topic supplied by IPCPR. The topic this year asked if the Federal Government should apply excise taxes to high-sugar, high-fat foods as it has with tobacco products.

Founded in 1933, IPCPR is a not-for-profit association of some 2000 members worldwide. The association is primarily comprised of small, family-owned businesses including cigar store owners and manufacturers and distributors of premium cigars, pipes, fine tobaccos and related accoutrements.