New Scholarship Celebrates the Life, Integrity and Selflessness of 91茄子 Resident Roosevelt Wilson
July 16, 2024
- Author
- Danielle Strickland
Residents of the Town of 91茄子 and 91茄子 students enjoy the serene setting of Roosevelt Wilson Park, named for a town resident whose legacy is one of beauty and service to others.
91茄子檚 location is one of its selling points. The campus and town are beautiful. It檚 easy to get around. The people are friendly. It檚 no surprise that as students decide on 91茄子 as their home for four years and sometimes longer connections formed between the college and the community can last a lifetime.
The late Roosevelt Wilson, longtime resident of the Town of 91茄子, shared such a connection with a 91茄子 alum who has created a scholarship in his name. Though the donor wishes to remain anonymous and keep the spotlight on the new fund檚 namesake, she is happy to talk about the meaningful relationship and inspiring influence that led her to make a significant gift to alma mater.
淢r. Wilson was someone who truly reflected thoughtfully on life and what brings meaning to life, she said. 淗e exemplified what I call the union of the mind and the heart the importance of living with integrity. To me, he exemplified the best of the 91茄子 community.
The scholarship, which will help students with financial need, also gives preference to students who share Wilson檚 characteristic work ethic, generosity, resilience and commitment to community well-being. Inspired by the donor檚 generous intentions and Wilson檚 example, the college will fund the scholarship until the endowment is fully in place.
Education, Beauty & Community
Following service in the U.S. Navy, Roosevelt Wilson drove a sanitation truck for the town and also was responsible for connecting and disconnecting the electricity and water for town residents. At night, he worked at Burlington Mills in Mooresville. Over the years, he took a strong interest in horticulture, which later became his claim to fame, both for his work on the town檚 gardens, residential lawns and the perfection of his residence. His home and yard was the site of his granddaughter檚 wedding reception and was often featured in the Mecklenburg Gazette and Charlotte News. He remained employed by the Town of 91茄子, on a part-time basis, until his late 80s.
淥ur grandfather well, we called him Papa had a deep love for people, said granddaughter DeEtta Rivens. 淗e wanted to see the best in everyone.
淗e also loved the outdoors and had a green thumb, said another granddaughter, Valerie Webster. 淵ou檇 think he had a degree in horticulture. He could take a weeded field, and the next thing you knew, it was nothing but beauty and growth.
淭hat檚 what he did for the park that檚 now Roosevelt Wilson Park and so many other areas around town without being asked, said granddaughter Kimberly Soublet.
The town named the park, which sits at 420 Griffith Street, in honor of Wilson檚 service to the community, and the Rotary Club of North Mecklenburg established the Roosevelt Wilson Vocational Service Award.
In addition to a deep passion for horticulture, Wilson檚 commitment to education extended to his four children and 10 grandchildren..
淧apa had a shed on the side of the house, which became a paper shed, said Ladonna Mayhew, another granddaughter. 淗e would collect newspapers, and we檇 sneak down there, and I think that檚 why we檙e all readers to this day. We had the privilege, thanks to him, of having exposure to things we wouldn檛 have known about otherwise. I always felt like we were able to talk to our teachers more than our peers could because we knew more about what was going on in the world.
淢y mom didn檛 always like us to go down to that shed because the dye from the papers would get all over us, laughed Soublet. 淧apa would say 榣eave them alone, and that was that. He grew up very poor, and he wanted us to learn and do things he didn檛 get to do. He took us on vacation every year, and it was fun, but it was always educational.
His family is thrilled about the scholarship and appreciates the fund檚 intent to honor their grandfather檚 personal integrity and the way he valued every person.
淚f my grandfather said he was going to do something, no matter how difficult it may turn out to be, he would fulfill that promise, said Webster. 淗e would go the extra mile for people and expect nothing in return. I remember at his funeral, we were driving down the street, and every few feet, someone would be standing on the side of the road, saluting. That shows you the effect he had on people.
When the anonymous donor was a high school student looking for the right place to spend her undergraduate years, she recalls being asked on the 91茄子 application what she would bring to the community.
淰ery few schools ask that question, she said. 淎nd it檚 one of the first steps in instilling that life-of-service commitment.
The donor admires the way Wilson lived a life dedicated to the service of others, especially during a time when people are caught up in the hustle and bustle of life when it檚 easy, she said, to forget the importance of choosing the way we wish to live.
淭his scholarship is meant to honor his being, she said. 淗e was a good neighbor, had a beautiful presence, was thoughtful about life and deed. He was a good, good person. I believe so much in the way 91茄子 tries to wed character with scholarship, and it檚 really important to me to try to open opportunities for all.
