Scholarship renaming ceremony to be held Sunday at Second Baptist Church in Lincoln

 

[June 21, 2023] 

The Second Baptist Church at 1728 Tremont Street in Lincoln will host a Scholarship Renaming Ceremony in Honor of Rev. Augustus Scott Jr. on Sunday, June 25, 2023, during the 11 a.m. service. Dinner will follow the ceremony. Rev. Gregory Stoner, Pastor, invites the community to attend this service.

Rev. Scott died on November 17, 2022. He was a longstanding member of Second Baptist Church, a former warden of Lincoln Correctional Center and owner of Big Gus’s Barbeque on Kickapoo.

Rev. Augustus “Gus” Scott, Jr. was a man of solid academic achievement and a love for education and students. A graduate of Phillips High School in Chicago, Gus went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Knox College in Galesburg, and then master’s degree in public administration from Northern Illinois University in Dekalb.

While serving as Warden of Lincoln Correctional Center, Rev. Scott taught math classes at Heartland Community College in Normal for 14 years, Richland Community College in Decatur, and at the Jacksonville McMurray Community College Extension Branch at the Lincoln Correctional Center.

Gus enjoyed helping students, particularly those who thought they were not good at math. His students often found out that the only thing bigger than his physique and smile was his heart. Many of them have credited his patience and style of teaching with helping them complete their college degrees.

In addition to his warden and teaching duties, Rev. Scott served as a Sunday school teacher at Second Baptist Church for many years and in charge of the Christian Education department. He was also a tutor for the church’s after-school tutoring program.

Hence, The Augustus Scott Jr. Memorial Scholarship is a living tribute to a godly man who believed in helping those around him become (among other things) educated.

Gladys Herrington Scholarship to be renamed the Augustus Scott Jr. Memorial Scholarship

The scholarship that will be renamed to honor Rev. Scott is the Gladys Herrington Scholarship.

Gladys Virginia (Brown) Herrington was born in 1913, in a small Missouri town that no longer exists. Her parents, three brothers, and four sisters, all moved to a farm near Clarksville, Missouri. Sometime after the move, her father, who was the grade-school teacher for the colored community, became legally, then totally, blind. Gladys was ten years old.

Her brothers completed eighth grade before they had to work the farm. Gladys and her sister Frances also completed eighth grade but desired to continue their education. However, the nearest high school was 10 miles down the Mississippi River and the only way they could attend was to be hired by a white family as servants, cooks, housekeepers and the like, in exchange for housing instead wages. As a result, Gladys and her sister stayed with such a family. They rose very early each morning, did chores at the house, went to school, then came back to the home and completed more chores. It was a grueling routine but after four-and-a-half years, Gladys and Frances received their high school diplomas. Education was always the main goal.

Gladys eventually married and moved to Illinois. She attended postsecondary classes when she could and was known by everyone as an intelligent, well-spoken, and dependable woman.

Accordingly, Gladys’ strong work ethic and academic values were passed on to her children, one of which is known and loved as the generously wise, gracious, and witty, Ginger Shelton, wife of Rev. Glenn Shelton.

After the death of her first husband, Gladys married Raymond Herrington (whose surname the original scholarship reflected). Gladys Herrington lived to be 102 years-old and today’s scholarship - originally established in her honor - is being re-named in honor of another towering example of strong work ethics and a love for education in the late Augustus Scott, Jr. We entreat the LORD’s blessing in this collaborative and selfless work of the Shelton and Scott families.

If you wish to support the Augustus Scott Jr. Memorial Scholarship

Ongoing scholastic support for our college-bound students can only be provided through financial assistance. The Augustus Scott Jr. Memorial Scholarship needs your regular monetary support so that this wonderful legacy does not become just another good idea.

If you believe in the potential of current and future Second Baptist students, there are three ways to give:

During Sunday offering time.
Be sure to note that it is for the ASJ Memorial Scholarship.

Online at sbclincoln.org

By mailing your contribution to:
Second Baptist Church
PO Box 192
Lincoln, IL 62656

Eligibility for student applications

The purpose of The Augustus Scott Jr. Memorial Scholarship is to financially support graduating high-school seniors who:

Are members of Second Baptist Church.

Are in good standing academically.

Will be attending a 2- or 4-year postsecondary institution.

[Janel Scott]