Captain Laurance Safford Scholarship Program

Each year, the U.S. Naval Cryptologic Veterans Association awards three scholarships to three meritorious students in the amounts of $3000, $2500, and $2000. These scholarships are intended to recognize academic excellence, leadership, community service and a commitment to pursuing higher education in the fields of science, technology, engineering, math, linguistics, and cyber.

• All applications submitted are considered.
• The decision of the Scholarship Committee ise final.
• Scholarship winners will be announced prior to the annual U.S. NCVA Reunion.

About Captain Safford

Captain Safford established the Naval cryptologic organization after World War I, and headed the effort more or less constantly until shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. His identification with the Naval cryptologic effort was so close that he was often referred to as the Friedman of the Navy.

Captain Safford was the first to begin organizing the worldwide Naval collection and direction finding effort, so that when the United States entered World War II it already had a system of intercept stations. The effort he headed broke Japanese naval codes, and began mechanizing its operations with IBM equipment.

Safford was directly involved with building cryptographic machines. He collaborated with the Army's Frank Rowlett in the invention of the SIGABA, the only cipher machine never broken by any country during World War II.

Laurance Safford was inducted into the NSA Cryptologic Hall of Honor in 1999.