The Shadow
Clifton Forge, Va. (VR) – Mountain Gateway Community College’s Educational Foundation is partnering with the Jefferson High School Alumni Association to offer a $1,000 scholarship to a deserving African-American student from Alleghany County or the city of Covington.
Jefferson High School was a historically Black school in Clifton Forge, operating from1919 to 1965, when it was closed due to integration, and became the Clifton Forge East Elementary School. The building, which no longer operates as a school, still stands on the corner of A St. and Church St.
The Jefferson Alumni Association was formed in 1980 to preserve the legacy of the school, and to recognize its many successful graduates, who became entrepreneurs and educators, as well as business owners and leaders.
The Jefferson Alumni Scholarship has been awarded since 1990, but this is first time that the scholarship has been administered through the MGCC Educational Foundation.
“We have awarded a total of $19,200,” commented Ione Callender, a Jefferson alumna who represents the group.
The scholarship is available to graduating high school students, continuing students or non-traditional students related to someone who attended Jefferson High School. Eligible students also must have earned minimum GPA of 2.5 and reside in Alleghany County or the city of Covington.
The scholarship will be granted for two consecutive semesters at MGCC and applies to tuition, books and approved resources for the degree or program that the student is enrolled in. The MGCC student may be either full or part time and must maintain a 2.5 GPA with no grade lower than a D.
Some of the distinguished Jefferson alums have included:
Felicia D. Anderson, Teresa Callender Berrien, Stanley Callender, William Stephens and B.C. Williams Jr., , all educators; W.E. Mansfield, George Goode, Sr, and Robert G. Davis, who all served on Clifton Forge City or Town Council; and Lexington funeral home owner and operator J.B. Lewis, Jr.
Anderson taught for 40 years at Virginia State University after earning a bachelor’s degree from Frisk University and a master’s degree from Columbia. A school in Fayetteville, NC, where Berrien served as principal, is named after her. Stanley Callender was an educator and coach in Hoke County, NC; the school gym was named in his honor. Stephens received the Washington Post Principal of Excellence Distinguished Educational Leadership Award. Williams served as principal at Jackson River Technical School in Alleghany County
Goode and Davis made history in Clifton Forge, with Goode serving as the first African-American Mayor and Davis as the first African-American Vice Mayor. Davis was also elected as Grand Master of the 107th Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Virginia. Mansfield, in addition to serving on Clifton Forge Town Council, is also recognized in Who’s Who in Black America, along with J.B. Lewis.
Ione Callender, one of Jefferson’s distinguished alums, finished up her successful career in banking as Assistant Vice President for the First Virginia Bank-Southwest. She has been an active volunteer in the Alleghany Highlands community, serving as a member of the Alleghany Highlands School Board, chairman of the Jackson River Technical Center Board, Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce Board Chair, president of the local chapter of the NAACP, Clifton Forge Mayor’s Task Force and Total Action Against Poverty board member. She currently serves on the Clifton Forge Planning Commission. She was the recipient of the Annual Martin Luther King Award (1995) as well as the Business and Professional Women’s Club Award (1996).
To apply for the scholarship, go to https://www.mgcc.edu/ scholarships.
For more information, contact Callender at (540) 968-2797 or MGCC Educational Foundation Scholarship Coordinator Vicki Pickle at (540) 863-2835 or vpickle@mgcc.edu.
