 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] |
