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AASU Announces Sam and Lilla Varnedoe ScholarshipSavannah, GA--December 12, 2005--Starting next fall, visual arts students with full-time status can lighten their financial load by applying for the Sam and Lilla Varnedoe Scholarship newly created at Armstrong Atlantic State University (AASU). The candidate who demonstrates the most outstanding artistic merit will receive an award of $1,000. The endowed scholarship is renewable for up to four years, but candidates must reapply each year. Hugh and Gena Tarbutton of Sandersville, Georgia, generously donated the funding for the scholarship in loving memory of their lifelong friends, Sam and Lilla Varnedoe, who were both prominent citizens of Savannah. Two of the Varnedoes' children and three grandchildren attended Armstrong Atlantic. One of their sons, Kirk Varnedoe, became the curator of the Department of Painting and Sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. For this reason the scholarship is being awarded through the Department of Art, Music & Theatre. Sam Varnedoe, a successful investment banker, was an expert in the area of municipal bonds. During the forties he was responsible for obtaining the excellent ratings for the City of Savannah and Chatham County that are still in effect today. During this time, he was active with many bond issues at Tybee Island, and is credited with pioneering the alternate route to the Islands via President Street. The bridge that crosses over the Intracoastal Waterway along this route is named in Varnedoe's honor in recognition of his many contributions. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor's degree in business administration. Lilla Varnedoe, a former chairman of the Department of Family and Children Services in Savannah, was the first woman on the Savannah Board of Education and the Chatham County Grand Jury. During the forties she pioneered equal educational opportunities for all citizens. In recognition of this work, she received the Hillyer Award as the Outstanding Citizen of the Year, and the Exchange Club's "Golden Deeds Award" in 1949. She was the first woman elected to the Vestry of St. John's Church. Lilla graduated from Smith College with a master's degree in English. Contributions for new and existing scholarships are currently being accepted by AASU. For more information or to make a donation, contact Gail Rountree at 912.927.5208. |
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