Hut Wester endows VGCC Scholarship in wife’s memory
W. Hutson “Hut” Wester of Henderson recently endowed a new Vance-Granville Community College scholarship in memory of his late wife, Virginia L. Wester.
A longtime supporter of the VGCC Endowment Fund, Mr. Wester has previously endowed two Hutson Wester Insurance scholarships at the college. Now retired from Wester Insurance Agency, he also taught continuing education classes on insurance at VGCC for several years.
In awarding the Virginia L. Wester Academic Achievement Scholarship, preference will be given to students who are planning to transfer to a four-year university and pursue a major related to insurance.
Mrs. Wester, who died in January 2014, was a native of Wilson County. She worked in the insurance industry for almost 30 years and was at one time the president of the North Carolina Association of Insurance Women. Mr. Wester remembered her as “a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and homemaker.”
"This scholarship will serve as a fitting tribute to the leadership and service of Virginia Wester," said Dr. Stelfanie Williams, president of VGCC. "Students who are preparing for business careers now have a new source of support, thanks to the generosity of Hut Wester, who has been a strong partner for VGCC in the classroom, in the community and on the golf course as a regular participant in our Endowment Fund Golf Tournament .”
Through the Endowment Fund, VGCC has awarded more than 7,000 scholarships 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 Endowment Fund have often been used to honor or remember a person, group, business or industry with a lasting gift to education. For more information about the Endowment Fund , call (252) 738-3409.
Above: From left, VGCC Endowment Director Eddie Ferguson, Hutson Wester and VGCC President Dr. Stelfanie Williams celebrate the creation of the new scholarship. (VGCC photo)
