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The family built Murphy Oil Corp. in El Dorado, AR has pledged to pay college tuition for almost every student in the town for the next 20 years. The pledge, called The El Dorado Promise, has been running for almost two years now. Currently, 312 students are attending college on $2.1 million of Murphy Oil Funds. From the programs start in 2007, school enrollment has increased with 95% of seniors saying they plan on attending college. The creator of the plan is Claiborne Deming, who recently retired as Murphy Oil’s CEO and president. Deming hope the plan would bring the town a new life with the tough economy and the decline in population. Now, many students who never believed they would be able to afford college can, and to be eligible for all four years of college, they have to keep a 2.0 GPA.

This article shows how money can be used for a significant purpose. Instead of choosing to use the money to buy a big house and life the rest of his life in a rich and fancy style, Deming choose to use the money toward the greater good of education. I think he is a perfect example of how to be unselfish in society today. Because of him, students for generations can look forward to higher education. I see kids in school everyday who are extremely smart and talented, but are not financially fortunate to improve their education. Some people may take their college education for granted, and I think this article shows that those who do are an example of human selfishness, and those who want an education and are willing to work for it should be the ones able to go to college.