A. Joe Hemphill, Jr. Scholarship
Scholarship Sponsored by Community Foundation of Western North Carolina
About the Scholarship
History of the Award: Arthur Joe Hemphill, Jr. was born in Tennessee in 1931 and lived most of his life in Buncombe County, North Carolina. He served on the Black Mountain police force for many years, becoming chief in 1970, and later joined the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Department. Before his death in 2009, Hemphill established the scholarship fund to help local young people pursue higher education.
- The scholarship honors Arthur Joe Hemphill, Jr.’s commitment to children and education.
- Hemphill and his wife, Mary Rutledge Hemphill, welcomed many children into their lives.
Eligibility
Eligible Applicants: The scholarship is available to graduating seniors at Charles D. Owen High School in Buncombe County, Madison High School in Madison County, or McDowell High School in McDowell County. Applicants must plan to attend a college or university in North Carolina or Tennessee and study forestry management or environmental science. The scholarship may be renewed for up to three additional years, and recipients are selected using objective, nondiscriminatory criteria established for the fund.
- Applicants must be graduating seniors at one of the three eligible public high schools.
- Applicants must plan to attend college in North Carolina or Tennessee.
- Eligible fields of study are forestry management and environmental science.
- The award is renewable for up to three additional years.