The Arrow Summer 2021

Marcia Verploegen Lewis (Lockamy ’71) Scholarship Endowment Fund

Marcia Verploegen Lewis (Class of 1971) recently established an endowed scholarship fund to assist families who may encounter financial hardship during their child’s enrollment at OHA. Please read her personal story below. During the summer of 1969, I was living with my dad in New Orleans. With his personal life in disarray there was a lot of uncertainty in my life so I asked him to let me go to a boarding school so that I could spend my last two years of high school in one place. So, two months later, I boarded a bus for Galax, Virginia followed by a taxi ride to Oak Hill Academy, arriving with one garment bag because my luggage was temporarily lost in transit. To say that Oak Hill Academy changed my life is an understatement. I went from an unstable family environment to a place with caring adults and peers. Oak Hill gave me the structure, stability, values, positive role models and leadership opportunities that I needed to grow into a responsible adult. I grew up at Oak Hill. When I graduated two years later, I was ready to take responsibility for my future but, first, I needed to navigate an unforeseen obstacle. Unfortunately, my father failed to pay the last $1000 of my tuition. With that debt left unpaid, I was unable to access my high school transcripts thus interfering with my ability to enroll in college. Subsequently, I learned that if I passed the GED exam the college would accept those results in lieu of my high school transcripts, which I did and eventually earned my college degree. I never let that disappointment influence how I felt about my Oak Hill experience. Ten years later, I sent Oak Hill a check for $1000. I sent the check, not because I was pressured to do so, but because it was the right thing to do knowing what an important impact the school had on my life. Today, I am retired after enjoying a fulfilling career in public policy and having raised two outstanding and responsible children. I have established this scholarship endowment fund at Oak Hill with the hope that others will be inspired to contribute to it and in time, it will grow into a substantial scholarship fund so that if a current student’s family finds themselves unable to continue paying their child’s tuition that student will not be forced to withdraw mid-year. Tragically, I am told that this scenario happens and I witnessed it when I was a junior and a friend of mine who was a senior had to withdraw because his family was unable to continue paying his tuition. Let’s make sure no student has to suffer those same consequences.

Marcia’s classmates, OHA alumni, and others interested in helping grow this fund may make a donation by sending a check earmarked Lewis Scholarship Fund. All donations to Oak Hill are tax deductible. Questions may be directed to Director of Development Tim Henry at thenry@oak-hill.net or 276-579-2619.

1971 at OHA