The family of James Wesley Willard II, an Elon student who died in an automobile accident in 2005, has established the James Wesley Willard II Memorial Scholarship at the university. James’ parents, Jonathan ’84 and Debra Sapsara Willard ’86, and his grandmother, Shirley Willard, established the scholarship to honor his memory and assist a student enrolled in the School of Communications.
James Willard was a rising sophomore and student in Elon’s School of Communications at the time of his death. A graduate of Dinwiddie High School in Dinwiddie, Va., James was a parliamentarian and member of the executive board of the Student Council Association and editor-in-chief of the yearbook during his senior year in high school. He was inducted into the National Honor Society, Who’s Who Among American High School Students, the National Honor Roll, and received a service award from the Student Organization for Developing Attitudes. A gifted writer, James worked as a youth correspondent for the Progress Index and the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
The first recipient of the scholarship is Nicole Schaefer, a senior who is majoring in corporate communications.
For more information about the scholarship, or to contribute to the scholarship fund, please contact Rhonda Owen in the Office of Institutional Advancement at (336) 278-7444.
UPDATE for JANUARY 22, 2009: Rhonda Owen is no longer with Elon University. For more information about the scholarship, contact Jamie Killorin or Sara Peterson toll free at (877) 784-3566.