Hemingway Look-Alike Society Kermit "Shine" Forbes Scholarship

Fall 2025

Kermit “Shine” Forbes was the legendary sparring partner of novelist Ernest Hemingway and a popular icon of old Key West. He died of pancreatic cancer Feb. 16, 2000 at Lower Keys Medical Center. In his trademark Panama hat and white tank top, Mr. Forbes was a fixture on the tourist island at the southern tip of Florida. Writers, journalists and tourists flocked to him for a game of checkers in the yard of his tiny apartment in a large neighborhood of Bahama Village. “Shine Forbes is the last person here who had contact with Hemingway. It’s the end of that era,” said Key West former historian Tom Hambright. Mr. Forbes was a former prizefighter in the Army when he met Hemingway in 1936, just as Hemingway was finishing up his Key West rum-smuggling tale, “To Have and Have Not.” The writer lived on the island for 10 years, penning such classics as “A Farewell to Arms.”

Award is for $2,500 ($1,250 in the fall & $1,250 in the spring). Eligible students must have a complete 2025-26 FAFSA and meet standards of satisfactory academic progress each term. Applicants must be graduating from Key West High School in May 2025, with plans to enroll at The College of the Florida Keys during the Fall 2025. Applicants must write and submit a 1-2 page essay answering the specific opportunity question provided. The Scholarship Selection Committee puts a strong emphasis for this award on the essay submitted.

Scholarship recipients are also expected to:

1. Confirm registration in courses at The College of the Florida Keys in the term in which the scholarship is to be used.
2. Complete a minimum of 8 hours of volunteer service with The College of the Florida Keys Foundation and/or approved charity only if requested. (Details will be sent separately if/when applicable.)
3. Attend the Hemingway Look-Alike Society’s Annual Scholarship Recognition Event in July during Hemingway Days in Key West at Sloppy Joe’s Bar, Key West, FL. (Details to be distributed once confirmed.)
4. Attend the Annual College of the Florida Keys Scholarship Recipient & Donor Social at the Tennessee Williams Theatre on the William A. Seeker Campus in Key West during the Fall semester. The event will occur on Tuesday, September 30th, 2025. Invitations will be distributed closer to the event.
5. Demonstrate and maintain the scholarship criteria and requirements.

The Foundation reserves the right to withdraw or modify the student’s award based on the student’s fulfillment of required scholarship criteria.