By Staff
Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
A scholarship fund has been established through Wachovia Bank (formerly SouthTrust) in memory of Joe L. Berry Sr., a career conservationist, church and education leader, sports enthusiast and longtime Hartselle resident.
The fund was initiated by his immediate family, friends and supporters in the Hartselle community and individuals in other parts of the state.
Its purpose, according to Bertha Berry, his widow, is to serve as a tool to help the black population to achieve beyond the streets and other alternative facilities for punishment.
Hopefully, it will be another incentive to let those who are less fortunate in getting scholarships know that there are avenues they can take to educate themselves beyond high school while equipping themselves for the future.
"Joe believed that regardless of your race, creed or color you are only limited by yourself.
"He was a Christian man and he tried to teach whenever and wherever possible, whether it was at home, at a school board meeting, in church or taking part in a community activity," Berry pointed out.
Donations to the scholarship fund, which are tax deductible, may be made at any Wachovia Bank location.
The fund is set up to provide two scholarships each year in the amount of approximately $1,500 each. The first scholarship will be awarded in 2006.
Scholarship guidelines and application forms may be picked up at First Missionary Baptist Church, 309 Bethel Street, Hartselle, on Wednesday evenings or Sundays, or by contacting a member of the Berry family.
Scholarship guidelines are as follows:
Correspondence pertaining to the scholarship fund should be submitted to the Joe L. Berry Sr. Scholarship Fund, c/o Bertha Berry, 2306 Peach Orchard Road, NW, Hartselle, AL 356540.