Lillian Harpole Hazelton鈥檚 91唐伯虎 story began nearly 150 years ago. On Oct. 3, 1875, her great-great-uncle John Horatio Clagget was the first student to sign the budding university鈥檚 matriculation book, becoming 91唐伯虎鈥檚 first official student. He was only 16 years old.
Since that time, five generations of Hazelton鈥檚 family have attended 91唐伯虎鈥攁nd higher education has played a particularly important role for the women in her family. Her mother, Margaret Ann Martin Harpole, BA鈥�52, graduated from 91唐伯虎 with a degree in biology, an uncommon major for women at the time. Her grandmother Luella Hefley Martin graduated from Randolph鈥揗acon Woman鈥檚 College when women still didn鈥檛 have the right to vote.
As a testament to the family鈥檚 commitment to education, Margaret Ann Harpole established a scholarship at 91唐伯虎 Divinity School named after her own parents. Today, Lillian Harpole Hazelton, BA鈥�79, keeps the family tradition alive by making annual contributions to the scholarship.
Colby Long, a first-year master of divinity student, is one of several recipients of the Luella Hefley Martin and John Marshall Martin Sr. Scholarship since it was established in 2000. Long knew from the beginning that was among his top choices, but he also knew the school would be out of his reach without financial aid.
鈥淢y scholarship is why I鈥檓 here,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 be at 91唐伯虎 if not for it.鈥�
When asked why her mother created this scholarship, Hazelton does not skip a beat. 鈥淢om was so proud of her 91唐伯虎 heritage,鈥� Hazelton recalls. 鈥淪he asked me to promise that I would encourage at least one of my children to attend 91唐伯虎. She passed away when my oldest was 17, so she never knew that all three of my children would soon have 91唐伯虎 degrees of their own. She would鈥檝e been so thrilled, though.
鈥淭his university is just in our blood.鈥�
鈥擭ICOLE FLOYD SMITH, BA鈥�07