John O’Malley Scholarship
Spring applications will open April 1, 2025
The John O’Malley Scholarship Fund was launched in 2013 with a $100,000 pledge, payable over 10 years, from Keller (formerly) Case Foundation Company to fund a scholarship in honor of O’Malley, past president and chairman of the company, for his 40 years of exemplary service and leadership to the construction industry. The Fund is part of the Trust’s At-Large Scholarship program and provides a total of $15,000 in scholarships each year to undergraduate civil engineering students who have financial need and an interest in the deep foundations industry.
Award
Several scholarships, ranging from $2,000 to $5,000 each will be awarded in 2025. Awards may be used for funding tuition, fees, books, and/or educational living expenses.
Scholarship check, payable to the student, will be sent in August 2025 after proof of enrollment and other required information is received by the DFI Educational Trust.
Eligibility & Requirements
The John O’Malley Scholarship is part of the DFI Trust At-Large scholarship program. Only one at-large application is required – submitting an application for any at-large scholarship will grant eligibility to the applicant for all at-large scholarships. Applicants cannot pick any single at-large scholarship and exclude the rest.
For full details on submitting an at-large scholarship, please review the at-large scholarship requirements.
John E. O’Malley
John E. O’Malley has spent most of his life in the deep foundations industry, having worked continuously for Keller companies for more than 50 years. He rose through the ranks at Case Foundation starting as a laborer while attending Loyola University, and advancing to labor foreman, estimator, project manager, vice president, president and finally chairman. He held the position of president of Case for over 20 years. Under O’Malley’s leadership, Case Foundation Company (now Keller) grew into a widely respected and successful full-service deep foundation specialist company.
During his tenure as president, he and the company were recognized in Chicago for two High-profile projects; the straightening of the S-Curve in Chicago and “plugging” the tunnel that caused the “Great Flood of 1992.” Under O’Malley’s direction, the company was also responsible for the piling foundation that supports the highly publicized and beautiful Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa, Florida.
O’Malley is a member of the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI), Association of Drilled Shaft Contractors (ADSC); and Associated General Contractors (AGC). He has served on the DFI Board of Directors and is a past member of the 100 Day Roundtable.
Founding Donors
Leader
- Case Foundation Company
Premier
- Equipment Corporation of America
Cornerstone
- Malcolm Drilling Company
Supporters
- Petrifond Foundations
- Underpinning and Foundation Skanska
Donors
- David Coleman
- Thatcher Foundations
- Tri-State Drilling Inc.
- M. Byrl and Frances Williams