He went to college after he lost part of his foot, and then decided he wanted to become an economist.

Likely his college ecucation was paid with compensation of one sort or another for his injury.  A terrible way to earn a "scholorship."  I do not know what would have been available to my father in case of serious injury. That was the 1950s.  My guess is "NOT MUCH."  All a lot of them got was a tale of woe to tell.  Humor often got them through.

One story I recall:

An ole' boy in Texas was working as a roughneck on an oil rig when an accident occured.  One finger was mashed and another was totally lost.  He was taken to the hospital and after the ER had finished and the opiates had taken hold he called his wife.

Roughneck: "Honey, I have bad news.  I lost a finger."

Wife: "The whole finger?!"

Roughneck: "Naw, the one next to it."

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."