Baskervilles create VGCC scholarship
From left, Dr. Rachel Desmarais, president of VGCC; Judge Randolph Baskerville; Sarah Baskerville; and Eddie Ferguson, executive director of the VGCC Foundation.
Randolph and Sarah Baskerville of Henderson have established a new scholarship at Vance-Granville Community College.
Sarah Baskerville retired after a 30-year career in education, the last 15 as a counselor at Southern Vance High School. She has served for many years on the board of directors for the VGCC Foundation. Randolph Baskerville served as the first African American Assistant District Attorney in the 9th judicial district before serving as a District Court Judge from 2006-2014. Today, Judge Baskerville practices law with his son, Nathan, in Henderson.
In awarding the Randolph and Sarah Baskerville Scholarship at the Academic Achievement Award level, preference will be given to students of color, Vance County residents, and students in either the Criminal Justice or Paralegal Technology programs.
“Our motivation for establishing this scholarship is two-fold,” the Baskervilles said. “First, we want to assist students from households of color who are first-generation college attendees. Often, the financial burdens are so overwhelming for some families that they cause an interruption in their education. We hope that by making this scholarship available through Vance-Granville Community College, the financial gap will be lessened, and the burden lightened.”
Their second motivation, they said, was to help students who need to gain the necessary skills to achieve a measure of success in the changing economy. “We hope that by making this scholarship available through VGCC, students can obtain additional training that will help them increase their salaries and achieve their goals in life,” the Baskervilles added. “We chose the area of Criminal Justice and related fields because of the enormous need today for dedicated, effective and honest individuals in law enforcement who care about justice for all.”
VGCC Endowment Executive Director Eddie Ferguson thanked the couple for their gift, saying, “We’re honored that Judge and Mrs. Baskerville have chosen to be involved in VGCC, and this special scholarship represents their love for students, education and their community.”
“Thanks to the generous support of Randolph and Sarah Baskerville, we can look forward to awarding a scholarship each year to a student who will have the opportunity to carry on their legacy of service and leadership,” said Dr. Rachel Desmarais, VGCC’s president. “This is yet another resource that we can use to create a community in which everyone can succeed.”
The VGCC Foundation (formerly known as the Endowment Fund) has enabled more than 9,700 scholarships to be awarded to students since 1982. Scholarships have been endowed by numerous individuals, industries, businesses, civic groups, churches and the college’s faculty and staff. Tax-deductible donations to the VGCC Foundation have often been used to honor or remember a person, group, business or industry with a lasting gift to education. For more information, call (252) 738-3409.
