The Douglas T. and Helen L. Gray Scholarship Fund
The Gray family lived in the King George community for well over 100 years. Going back to the early 1900’s, members of the Gray family have graduated from and taught at King George High School (KGHS). After Douglas Taylor Gray Jr. died in October of 2002, the family farm was sold. It was then that Doug’s wife Helen and daughter Jane began to speak about giving back to the community that meant so much to the entire Gray family. They decided that the best way to make a lasting gift was to create a fund for future King George High School graduates.
Doug Gray, Jr. was born and raised in King George. He was a graduate of KGHS, as were both of his children, Douglas Taylor Gray III and Jane Lovelace Gray. After high school, Doug Jr. graduated from Virginia Tech as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army and fought in WWII. When he was wounded in France in 1944, he came home and obtained a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech. After graduation, Doug settled down in King George, and he and his wife Helen raised their family there while Doug worked at Dahlgren Naval Base as a civilian Mechanical Engineer. During the Vietnam War, their only son Doug III was killed in action.
The Grays decided to set up a Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) that would benefit Helen Gray for her lifetime, with the remainder reverting to a scholarship fund upon her death to benefit King George County students.
The Douglas T. and Helen L. Gray Scholarship Fund will award two (2) scholarships annually to graduating seniors in King George County.
The Gray family hopes to support high achieving and/or highly motivated KGHS students with demonstrated financial need. Students intending to pursue any skilled trade, vocational or technical education certification or degree, or a similar business program are encouraged to apply.
Eligibility
Applicants to The Douglas T. and Helen L. Gray Scholarship Fund must:
- Be a graduating senior from King George County High School
- Be a highly motivated or high achieving senior
- Demonstrate financial need
- Demonstrate either:
- plans to attend an institution of higher learning, which may be a 2-year or a 4-year college, or
- plans to pursue any skilled trade, vocational or technical education certification or degree, or a similar business program
Eligible Localities: King George County
Eligible High Schools: King George High School
Deadline: March 01, 2020 by 11:00 PM
Award Amount: $6000
How to Apply
The online application portal will walk students through our application process.
- Students submit general information such as address and high school, as well as information about extracurricular activities or awards.
- Students use the online application to provide the name and email address of their guidance counselor and other individuals. These contacts will receive an email requesting the student’s high school transcript or a personal reference.
- Each of our various scholarships has its own essay guidelines, as described below.
Call 540 373-9292 or e-mail scholarships@cfrrr.org for more information.
Additional Information
The Douglas and Helen Gray Scholarship also requires:
- Two letters of recommendation: one from a teacher and one from a supervisor/mentor/employer who has knowledge of your work ethic.
- An essay of no more than 900 words that answers the following:
Self-motivation can often enable one to overcome challenges in life and work. Describe a time that you feel you were highly motivated, and please include the challenge presented, what it was that motivated you, and what the outcome was. In addition, write about how this motivation has benefited you in other aspects of your life.
More information on how to Apply for a Scholarship.
