Class of ’71 awards first scholarship on 50th anniversary

Published 9:14 am Thursday, September 30, 2021

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The Davie High Class of 1971 celebrated 50 years since graduation on Sept. 10. A crowd gathered at The Stable at Riverview in Advance to mark the golden anniversary.

In honor of the anniversary, the first scholarship from the Davie High Class of 1971 Scholarship Fund was awarded. The scholarship reached the threshold to become an endowment before the end of 2020 which allowed it to be awarded in time for the anniversary celebration.

Justus Tatum, Class of 2021, was selected to receive the first award. He played basketball and football for Davie County High School all four years, volunteered for the New Jerusalem Apostolic Church Back 2 School Empowerment event, and still managed to work part-time during his senior year.

When asked who had the greatest influence on him as a person, he named his mom and dad. “They are two people I am proud to say that I can always count on no matter what the situation is.”

He also wanted the Selection Committee to know: “I am going to show up every day and be prepared to work. I will be ready every day to learn something new. I am respectful, soft spoken, and I do not talk unless called upon. I will also be a student athlete because I plan on playing for the DDCC basketball team while I am attending.”

Justus is a student at Davidson-Davie Community College where he is pursuing an associate/transfer degree. He plans to transfer to a 4-year college or university where he will major in business and hopefully work as a resource manager after graduation.

“Our class is proud to be able to support future graduates of Davie High,” said Jimmy Myers, class member. “We all need to keep giving to the scholarship now that it is permanent. We want the award from the Davie High Class of 1971 Scholarship to be large enough to be meaningful to the recipient every year. It’s our opportunity to invest in the future.”

The scholarship fund is administered by the Davie Community Foundation. Gifts in any amount may be added at any time. Checks payable to Davie Community Foundation, with Class of 1971 noted in the memo, may be mailed to the Foundation at PO Box 546, Mocksville. Credit card gifts are accepted through the Foundation website at www.daviefoundation.org.