First Virginia Dillon scholarship awarded to Ohio woman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The first Virginia S. Dillon Scholarship has been awarded to a 45-year-old United Methodist laywoman in Goshen, Ohio, who is working on a bachelor’s degree in special education.

Lynn Phillips, a mother of two and the wife of a United Methodist pastor, received a $1,500 scholarship award from a fund established by the late Mrs. Dillon of Aiken, S.C., who bequeathed $84,338 to the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry’s Office of Loans and Scholarships.

“It’s really wonderful, especially because there are not a lot of scholarships out there for non-traditional students,” said Mrs. Phillips, who attends classes at Xavier University. She is preparing for a career as an early childhood special needs intervention specialist.

Mrs. Phillips is married to the Rev. Johnny C. Phillips, pastor of Goshen United Methodist Church. She attends classes during the week and through a Saturday program at Xavier.

Angella Current-Felder, executive director of the Office of Loans and Scholarships, said the funds Mrs. Dillon left were used to establish a scholarship for persons over 35 who are returning to college to complete their education. GBHEM’s Loans and Scholarships Committee thought that would be appropriate after they learned that Mrs. Dillon, the widow of Tuskegee Institute professor, Dr. Ira Dillon, had received a B.A. in English from Tuskegee after returning to college later in life.

“Lynn Phillips is a mother of two who we commend for returning to college to pursue a B.S. degree,” Current-Felder said.

Mrs. Phillips said it will take her about two more years to finish her undergraduate degree.

To learn more about UM loans and scholarships, visit www.gbhem.org/loansandscholarships.

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