Back to Index     

The Norfolk Foundation received its first scholarship fund in 1951 when Fannie Royster Cooke and Richard D. Cooke Sr. of Norfolk created the Richard D. Cooke and Sheppard R. Cooke scholarship. The scholarship for students at Union Theological Seminary honors their sons.

Since the Cookes gave the Foundation a toehold in the world of scholarships 53 years ago, generous donors have added 45 scholarship funds, most providing help for undergraduate students. For this academic year the Foundation awarded $840,860 in scholarships to 330 students who attend more than 70 different colleges and universities. The average scholarship amount this year is $2,550.

Today even though Fannie and Richard Cooke and their sons are deceased, their family scholarship continues its tradition of helping students. This year’s scholarship recipients include two students attending Union Theological in Richmond. Over the years the Cooke scholarship has provided $154,813 in scholarships for 80 seminary students.

Also among this year’s 330 Norfolk Foundation scholarship recipients are two students who were awarded the Harry Bramhall Gilbert Scholarship, which was created in 2003. The new scholarship honors Gilbert, a former naval officer and architect who lived in Norfolk from 1968 until his death in 1982. His family created the scholarship to assist Chesapeake public school graduates pursuing undergraduate degrees at one of four Virginia colleges and universities.
 

Back to Fall 2004 Newsletter Index