GISD scholarship program was started in 1972

Seventy-three scholarships were handed out Monday night to the class of 2016 at the Graham High School scholarship awards ceremony in Memorial Auditorium.

The program has been benefiting seniors in Graham since 1972, according to historical information collected by former Dean of Students Pauline Guinn Jones.

The program was started by Jones that year when she was named Dean of Students.

“We have only one scholarship, the I.T. Gilmer Scholarship, for $250. That is a shame. Your other job description will be to see how many local scholarships you can produce,” the superintendent told her, Jones recalled in her history of the scholarship program.

She worked fast to get together as many scholarships as she could find around from the community organizations in Graham. She visited the Rotary Club, Lions Club, Kiwanis Club and the business owners  downtown. By the cutoff time, she had accumulated 25 scholarships for the presentation in the high school auditorium.

In order to encourage more scholarship donations, Jones decided to publish a booklet and spent many hours organizing the information and monetary amounts for each scholarship. According to Jones, GHS was the first high school in Texas to publish a scholarship booklet, and over time the program grew to the point where they had professional  printers publishing the scholarship booklet.

The program outgrew the high school auditorium by 1978 and moved into the Memorial Auditorium, where it is still held today. Jones retired in 1997, and during that final year for her, the school gave away 100 scholarships amounting to $149,000.

“We are grateful to live in a community that chooses to honor the graduating seniors in such a  generous way,” said GHS Principal Joe Gordy at the 2016 awards ceremony.

The following list details the scholarships, presenter and student awarded:

Texas Tech Alumni, Lake Country Chapter Scholarship - David McClendon - Savanna Wilson
Ed Graham III, UT Memorial Scholarship - Win Graham - Harrison Brown
Pat Bryan III, UT Memorial Scholarship - Win Graham - Weston Womack
H.A. & Dorothy Hefner Scholarship - Joe Gordy - Libby Choate
Jimmie Mae Bennett Golf Scholarship - Joe Gordy - Coby Bryant, Alexandra Riley
Class of 1958 Scholarship - Jerry Wilhelm - Cassidy Price
Graham High School Spanish Club Scholarship - Liesel Wilson - James Bobek, Noamy Dearcos, Catlin Lewis, Savanna Wilson
Edgar Scholarship - Ken Andrews - Harrison Brown
Young County Bar Association Scholarship - Ken Andrews - Harrison Brown
Rhogenia Kindley Scholarship - Ken Andrews - Harrison Brown
Graham Savings Scholarship - Ken Andrews - Harrison Brown
Rotary Club of Graham, Academic Scholarship - Garrett Pettus - James Bobek
Agnes C. & Paul K. Deats Memorial Scholarship - Ginger Robbins - James Bobek, Harrison Brown
Eunice & Joe B. Friedel G.H.S. Scholarship - Ginger Robbins - Madison Walker
J.D. Burke Scholarship - Bobby Banks - Harrison Brown
Charles Hargrove Memorial Scholarship - Angela Roberson - Clayton Hawkins
Movelda Rhine Memorial Scholarship - Clay McChristian - Bradley Little, Conner Smith
Randy Finney Scholarship - Nancy Dunlap - Neely Schlabs, Caleb Crago
Brazos Telephone Cooperative Scholarship - Nancy Dunlap - Cara Williams, Alexandra Riley, Adam Wailes
Brandon Bailey Memorial Scholarship - Bruce & Gayle Bailey - Weston Womack
Graham Girls Softball League Scholarship - Brad Herpeche - Cassidy Price, Lexie Allen, Rylee Zimmer
Corey Valliant Memorial Scholarship - Latasha Valliant - Sarah Mahan
Delta Kappa Gamma/Willie Allen Memorial Scholarship - Kelli Walker - Cassidy Price
Libby Fellows Memorial Scholarship - Hayley Langford - Sarah Mahan, Catlin Lewis, Reba Atkins
Graham Noon Lions PK Relays Scholarship - Jim Senkel - Harrison Brown, Sydney Smith
Graham Noon Lions Academic Scholarship - Jim Senkel - Cody Hays
DAR Good Citizen Scholarship - Ellen Morris - Emma Stroup
C.L.S.C. Emma Le Veaux Parrish English Scholarship - Ellen Morris - Sydney Smith
Dorothy M. Street Memorial Music Scholarship - Bronwen Choate - Reba Atkins
Tommy Littlepage Memorial Scholarship - Bronwen Choate - Lexie Allen
Fort Belknap Electric Cooperative Scholarship - Bennie Lane - Cristal Sanchez
Kiwanis Club Scholarship - Kyle Anderson - Harrison Brown
Donnie Choate Memorial Kiwanis Scholarship - Kyle Anderson - Eric Barrera
Jimmy & Oneida Stiles Kiwanis Scholarship - Kyle Anderson - Emma Stroup
J. “Duff” Pitcock Memorial Scholarship - Michael Armstrong - Cody Hays
Sheri Lea Burkett Memorial Scholarship - Michael Armstrong - Cara Williams
Tom Hunnewell Memorial Scholarship - Michael Armstrong - Caleb Crago
Todd Hall Memorial Scholarship - Amy Shackelford - Ben Burgess, Neely Schlabs
Young County 4-H Parents Club - Debbie Gleason - Adam Wailes
Evening Lions Club, Cliff Walker Memorial Scholarship - Kathy Guinn - Libby Choate
Class of 1966 Scholarship - Eileen Standridge - Harrison Brown, Madison Hamm
Desk & Derrick Club Scholarship - Chelly Melton - Cristal Sanchez
First State Bank Scholarship - Kevin Winters - Harrison Brown
Cierra Bank Employees Scholarship - Martha Floyd - Catlin Lewis
Cierra Bank Scholarship - Martha Floyd - Cara Williams
Masonic Lodge/Forrest Burnham Scholarship - Ludonna Burnham - Cara Williams
Masonic Lodge/Terry Hawkins Scholarship - Weldon Floyd - Catlin Lewis
Masonic Lodge #485/Young County Scholarship - Weldon Floyd - Blake Bahl, Caleb Crago
First Presbyterian/ Peggy & Joe McKinley Scholarship - Charlie Bazan - Cristal Sanchez, Harrison Brown
Graham Band Boosters Scholarship - Amanda Mullens - Reba Atkins, Miya Brumley
Graham Inter Bank Scholarship - Harold Wilbanks - Cody Hays
Helen F. Hawkins Scholarship - Lonny Hawkins - Harrison Brown, Cara Williams
Association of Texas Professional Educators Scholarship - Tracy Pippins - Reba Atkins
G.H.S. Thespian Club Scholarship - Sally Maxey - Emma Stroup, Harrison Brown
Amber Lindley Memorial Scholarship - Dana Lindley - Harrison Brown, Cody Hays, Alexandra Riley, Catlin Lewis
Class of 1954, 1955 & 1956 Scholarship - Annie Belle Burdick - Jordan Smith, Madison Hamm
Derek Liles Memorial Scholarship - Jackie Webb, Jr. - Alexander Smith
Kenneth G. Knox, Class of 1952 Memorial Scholarship - John Knox - Weston Womack
NCTC Foundation Scholarships - Charise Bewley - Cason Brock, Noamy Dearcos, Harrison Brown, Eric Buckalew
Lee Allen Hunnewell Reading Scholarship - Lee Allen Hunnewell - Taylor Buschmann
Hunnewell Religious Foundation Scholarship - Shannon Plowman - Emma Stroup
Bailey Pippin Memorial Scholarship - Callie Pippin - Cason Brock
Young County Democrats Scholarship - David Wolf - Harrison Brown
S.H.A.R.E. Scholarship - Stephanie Talbott, Ryan Gordy - James Bobek, Catlin Lewis, Harrison Brown
Candice Martin Memorial Scholarship “What Matters Most” - Ryan Gordy - Savanna Wilson, Alexander Smith
Jack Cody Drama Scholarship - Jack Cody - Emma Stroup, Catlin Lewis, Dylan Nesbitt, Cara Williams
Eugenia D. Howell Scholarship - Jack Cody - James Bobek
Jimmy Guinn Memorial Scholarship - Joe Gordy - Bradley Little
Best All-Around Girl, Graeme Stewart Shannon Memorial Scholarship - Joe Gordy, Jack Cody - Emma Stroup
Best All-Around Boy, Sponsored by Echo Production - Joe Gordy - Harrison Brown

Distinguished Honor Graduate

Dr. Aaron Purdy Scholarship - Dr. Aaron Purdy - Caleb Crago

Salutatorian

Echo Production Scholarship - Joe Gordy - Cody Hays

Valedictorian

Bettis, Boyle, and Stovall and Street Scholarship - Jim Bradshaw - Savanna Wilson