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Lynda Keever Scholarship
The Lynda Keever (Class of 1965) Scholarship (four $2,500.) was established in 2023 for students continuing their education at State College of Florida or Florida State University. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required.
Lynda Keever graduated from Manatee High School in 1965. She was Vice President of the Drama Club, Junior One Act Play, Sugar Canes Drill Instructor, M Club, Pan American Club, Latin Club, and Student Council Officer. Inter-Club Council, Calendar Girl, Jamboree Court, National Honor Society, Senior Notable, and Sub-Deb of the Year.
Lynda was the Desoto Princess in 1967 and earned her AA Degree from the State College of Florida (formerly MJC). She graduated from Florida State University with a BA in Government and a minor in Business Administration.
Lynda was named to the Florida Women's Hall of Fame in 2001 by then-Governor Jeb Bush.
Lynda retired in 2009 after serving as Publisher of Florida Trend Magazine for nearly 20 years and was the only woman to serve in that position in the magazine's now 65-year history. She is a fourth-generation Floridian. She previously served as a Board Member of Enterprise Florida, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Florida, and the Collins Center for Public Policy. She served eight years on the Board of Trustees of the FSU Foundation and was chair for two years. She was a member of the Florida Economic Development Council and a tireless advocate of the community college system in Florida, where she received the Leroy Collins Distinguished Community College Honorary Alumni Award from the Florida Association of Community Colleges in 1999 and a similar award from the Florida Association of Colleges and Universities (FACU).
Then-Bradenton Mayor Wayne Poston and the City Council honored Lynda Keever with "Lynda Keever Day" in 2002.
Lynda has been married to Bill Eshenbaugh, president of Eshenbaugh Land Company, for 35 years. He is affectionally known as “The Dirt Dog” for always finding land for his real estate clients. They live on a 10-acre horse ranch in Thonotosassa, Florida, just outside Tampa.
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